A British minister last night conceded that a new government agency to investigate dangerous doctors would not necessarily prevent another case like that of killer GP Harold Shipman. The Health minister, Mr John Hutton, made the admission after a warning by the British Medical Association about the new National Clinical Assessment Authority.
The BMA disputed the view of the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, that the agency, coupled with a system of annual appraisals for doctors, would give "the best possible chance" of stopping someone like Shipman.
Mr Blair said: "It is going to allow us to take action very quickly where either a hospital or a GP practice knows something is wrong or something is revealed about a particular doctor behaving in a particular way."
Dr John Chisholm, chairman of the BMA's GPs' committee, welcomed the new authority but said: "There are other measures that the government ought to be putting in place to deal with this, including improved monitoring of death certification and the use of controlled drugs." The NCAA - due to be officially unveiled by the Health Secretary, Mr Alan Milburn, in the Commons today - will be a rapid reaction unit to look into complaints from patients and colleagues about doctors' performance and to decide whether they should be subjected to closer investigation.