Our members have raised concerns about how far the wider context and operating environment is being taken into account in hearings, as well as the need for an open and honest culture that allows for learning and continuous improvement.
As a Royal College we are not involved in MPTS processes, and we can’t comment on individual cases. However, we are absolutely clear that safe and effective patient care must be underpinned by a culture of openness, honesty and continuous learning amongst the whole team.
The GMC has stated that it will take the context that a clinician is operating within into account. We will be following up with them to see how they are continuing to do so within an environment that is getting busier, more complex and with growing patient backlogs. It is important to ensure that doctors who have been working under unprecedented pressure for the last two years are supported.
Ultimately, we all want to make sure that doctors and the child health workforce are supported to achieve high quality and safe patient care.