THE GMC should be stripped of its right to hear disciplinary cases against doctors, the Shipman Inquiry urged yesterday.

The statutory body which regulates the medical profession has been all too ready to look after its own at the expense of patients, Dame Janet Smith, the inquiry chairman, concluded.

She had built a picture of the General Medical Council which “tends to favour the interests of doctors”. Where there is a conflict between patient and doctor, she said the GMC “does what the profession thinks is right”. She called for the culture of self -interest that continues to pervade the GMC, long after Harold Shipman has gone, to be swept away.

“Having examined the evidence, I have been driven to the conclusion that the GMC has not, in the past, succeeded in its primary purpose of protecting patients,” she said. “Instead it has, to a very significant degree, acted in the interests of doctors.”

Dame Janet concluded that some in the GMC will find the report, and more than 100 recommendations, a “bruising” experience. There will be an inevitable period of upheaval within the GMC but insisted that the resulting “greater openness” will help repair the relationship of trust and confidence between doctor and patient.

Sir Graeme Catto, president of the GMC, insisted, despite Dame Janet’s criticism, that it was not appropriate for him to resign. He said: “We need to learn from the lessons of the past. Perhaps we were once like an old boys’ club but that is absolutely not the case now.

“That culture has changed very considerably. These things do not happen overnight, they take time, and I think she gives us great credit for the changes that have already taken place. We are making every effort to make our own procedures accessible, streamlined and transparent, but we have long called for a single portal that could be the confidential first port of call for people with concerns.”

John Reid, the Health Secretary, said that Dame Janet had made some “very significant recommendations that would have a major impact on service delivery”. He said: “She had made significant recommendations concerning the constitution and operation of the GMC. We have recently made changes to the constitution of the GMC to ensure a far greater voice for patient intersts.

“We will consider carefully the recommendations Dame Janet makes for further reform, and the implications of her recommendations for other regulatory bodies.”

Relatives of Shipman’s victims immediately called on the Government to bring about “much needed reform” in the systems in place to monitor, report and police medical practitioners. Ann Alexander, the solicitor who represents more than 200 of the victims’ families, said: “It has taken a series of tragic cases for the GMC to begin to look at the way it polices the medical profession. But for many it is too late. A radical rethink of the system is required on how best to regulate the medical profession in the future.

“The GMC has introduced a series of reforms aimed at restoring public confidence but for many these fall woefully short of what they need to do. Many people who wish to complain about a member of the medical profession simply do not know how to go about it. When they do find out the procedures, they are cumbersome, lengthy and off-putting.”

Kathleeen Wood, whose 83-year-old mother Bessie Baddeley was murdered by Shipman in November 1997, blamed the medical profession for looking after their own.

She said: “The GMC were probably looking after each other. That was the way things were then. I am sure the GMC will pay attention to these comments because they would be mad not to.”

Barry Swann, 54, whose 79-year-old mother died at the hands of Shipman, called for an overhaul of the medical monitoring system. He said: “It comes as no surprise Dame Janet says the GMC protected their own. I knew that in 1997 when my mother died. The doctors cannot be trusted to govern themselves. We need a completely independent group to look out for the best interests of patients.

“Doctors are in an incredibly privileged position. If we cannot trust the group that ensures they are spotless, then what faith are people going to have in the medical profession?”

LIFE AND CRIMES OF A MURDERER

• 1946: Born in Doncaster; his family move to Nottingham soon afterwards
• 1963: While he is studying for A levels, his mother, Vera, dies of cancer, aged 43
• 1966: Marries 17-year-old Primrose Oxtoby, who is five months pregnant with their first child
• 1970: Graduates from Leeds University medical school and begins work at Pontefract General Infirmary
• 1974: Working as a GP at Todmorden, he becomes addicted to the painkiller pethedine. He is sacked by the practice and fined £600 at Halifax magistrates
• 1976: General Medical Council hearing warns Shipman about conduct but does not discipline him
• 1993: Sets up his own practice in Hyde, Greater Manchester. At its peak serves 3,200 patients
• March 1998: Local GP raises concerns about death rates in Shipman’s practice. Police find nothing suspicious
• September 7, 1998: Shipman arrested and charged with the murder of Kathleen Grundy, 81.
• October 1999: Goes on trial at Preston Crown Court, accused of murdering 15 patients
• January 2000: Convicted and given 15 separate life sentences
• February 2000: Police start investigation into the deaths of 175 other former patients
• January 2001: Government report says Shipman may have murdered as many as 236 patients
• June 2001: Public inquiry, chaired by Dame Janet Smith, opens in Manchester
• July 2002: First report of inquiry concludes Shipman killed at least 215 people
• January 13, 2004: Shipman found hanging in prison cell at Wakefield Prison

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• 6 reasons not to give gifts this Christmas
• Remembrance Day: All the lonely heroes