Annex A > Chapter 4 - National Accountabilities and Roles > National regulatory and professional bodies > Issues common to regulation of doctors and nurses (and others)

Issues common to regulation of doctors and nurses (and others)

Disparagement and the duty to inform others if a colleague's conduct is in question

157 The change in emphasis since 1984 from a prohibition on disparagement of a colleague to a duty to inform others can be traced through evidence given to the Inquiry of GMC publications and of clinicians' attitudes over time. The change was felt necessary, [192] was made in response to particular cases [193] and reflected changes in attitudes.

Clinicians' traditional attitudes

158 Professor Leo Strunin, President of the RCA, told the Inquiry:

`Q. You are emphasising there, I think, two things: firstly, the development of a team or corporate identity and, secondly, more self-consciousness about professional standards and the need to keep abreast of those. Is that fair comment?

`A. I think that is true. I do not think it is true in anaesthesia, although anaesthetists are better in some respects. They work in departments with some other specialties because of the nature of the work we do, but I think it was fairly common back ten years when people thought, "Well, as long as I am doing a good job it is not actually my problem what is occurring around me", whereas now that has changed and people believe there is a corporate structure and they are responsible for everybody. That is obviously in line with what the General Medical Council now recommends to doctors, that we are not only responsible for our own activities but for those of others around us.' [194]

159 Sir Donald Irvine told the Inquiry:

`A. The notion that clinicians and team members might have some collective responsibility, an explicit notion, I think was not in the mind then [1984].

`Q. So responsibility for one's fellows, if one's fellow was guilty, if I can use that word, of shoddy practice, was not necessarily something which a clinician saw himself as having any duty in 1984 to report upon?

`A. I think that was a very common attitude.' [195]

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Footnotes

[192] T48 p.98 Sir Donald Irvine

[193] Principally, the cases of Dr Frempong (see para 164), Dr Dunn (see para 173)

[194] T14 p.4-5 Professor Strunin (emphasis added)

[195] T48 p.89 Sir Donald Irvine