Regular oversight of doctors will make patients safer – and increase trust

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/06/regular-oversight-doctors-dan-poulter

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Last month we announced that the UK will become the first country in the world to start regular fitness to practise reviews for its doctors. For most people, this is an obviously good, safe, sensible and progressive thing to do.

Today, we've published the evidence. Revalidation will cost an estimated £100m each year, or less than 0.1% of the NHS' total budget. The evidence published today shows that this cost is outweighed by the enormous benefits that regular fitness to practise reviews will bring – increased trust in doctors, safer care, fewer claims for clinical negligence and positive cultural change in the profession.

Currently, when a doctor qualifies, they are awarded the right to practise medicine and treat patients for the rest of their lives by the General Medical Council (GMC), and only in very exceptional circumstances such as gross misconduct or clinical negligence can this right to treat patients be taken away.

'Revalidation' will help the vast majority of doctors who are entirely fit, skilled and talented, to keep up with the demands of modern medicine — the barrage of new technology, research and guidance that is constantly hitting the medical profession.

As a doctor myself, I welcome this support for my own clinical practice. It will make medicine safer by eliminating poor practice through supporting those doctors who need to improve some of their clinical skills, and by tackling the tiny minority of doctors who are not fit for their roles. The senior doctors who will oversee the system will also ensure that the small number of dangerous, often overseas trained, locum doctors who do not understand the British medical system are stopped from treating patients.

So this evidence shows that the new checks are undoubtedly about safety. But for me, the evidence also highlights something more profound. It's the finding that this will increase trust in doctors.

In my experience as a junior doctor, the single most important aspect of the doctor-patient relationship is trust. Patients need to trust and have confidence in their doctor. These qualities can be hard-won yet lost in a moment. It's often communication that tips the balance. Whether a doctor's tone is compassionate, calm and clear will determine whether a patient trusts that doctor and feels confident that they understand their needs.

Yet even the best, most qualified doctors can be let down by poor communication. Regular appraisals will target the quality of their bedside manner and include genuine patient feedback, so that all doctors, wherever they were trained and wherever they work — NHS or private sector — are supported to improve their relationship with patients and to build up that essential trust. It sounds basic, but it matters enormously.

The NHS is already respected around the world. These regular checks will maintain and improve that reputation, at home and abroad. It's over 30 years since the idea was first suggested and today the evidence is clear. Once more, our NHS will be leading the world.

<em>Dr Dan Poulter is Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich</em>