GMC unveils negligence task force

The GMC has announced its working group leading a review into gross negligence manslaughter – with 11 leading clinicians, health experts and academics taking the reins.

Dame Clare Marx, chair of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, will lead the review which aims to explore how such cases are initiated and investigated in the UK, in the wake of the Hadiza Bawa-Garba case.

The working group will meet regularly throughout the rest of the year to analyse all aspects of the process, including what happens after a fatal incident occurs, the impact of any criminal investigation, inquiries by a coroner, procurator fiscal or sheriff and the regulatory process and the GMC’s fitness-to-practise processes.

Dame Clare, a former president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: ‘The wealth of knowledge and experience of the working group members will be hugely valuable for the review into how gross negligence manslaughter and culpable homicide cases are dealt with, and what can be improved.

‘As a group we are committed to exploring every avenue to promote a no-blame culture and encouraging a renewed focus on reflective practice and learning. It will be a difficult challenge, but I am confident that my colleagues on this working group are the ideal team to achieve this.’

A GMC statement said ‘the working group comprises a wide range of perspectives, experience and expertise’. It includes doctors in training, representatives from the legal system, employers and patients.

The 10 members who will work with Dame Clare are Clare Gerada, Leslie Hamilton, Pali Hungin, Bertie Leigh, Liz McAnulty, Vivienne Parry, Selva Ramasamy, Iqbal Singh, Jude Tweedie, and Iain Wallace.