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Commentary

President, General Medical Council, 178 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5JE, UK; PBuckley@gmc-uk.org

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

As I write these words, in the immediate aftermath of Shipman’s apparent suicide, there continues to be considerable public interest in the case and debate about its legacy. Few would argue with Professor Baker’s thoughtful and balanced analysis that its significance goes much wider than the stark, shocking, wickedness of an individual doctor who was able to kill at least 215 of his patients before being detected.

Professor Baker wisely warns against the risk of over-reaction, pointing out that all the signs suggest that patients still trust their doctors, despite Shipman. He is right to argue that a general attitude of mistrust between doctors would be a sad, destructive development. My own view is that the ongoing implementation of robust clinical governance locally, improvements in the monitoring of the use of controlled drugs and reform of arrangements for death certification and the investigation of death by coroners should stop another . . . [Full text of this article]