Our Chair Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden shares her view in the BMJ after interviewing Charlie Massey for a documentary Sammy presented on BBC Radio 4.
This week I had the opportunity to interview Charlie Massey, the chief executive of the General Medical Council (GMC), for a BBC Radio 4 documentary on why doctors are leaving the NHS. It didn’t start well. I found myself on a train to Portsmouth instead of London having been up most of the night; proof that tired doctors do indeed make mistakes.
Generously Charlie did meet with me, some hour and a half late. I felt it was crucial that we acknowledge the impact that the blame culture has had on recruitment and retention.
I was surprised and encouraged, when Massey admitted publicly that the decision to take Hadiza Bawa-Garba to the High Court to have her erased from the medical register was wrong.
To me, this was an incredible acknowledgement from the GMC. But I have no doubt that doctors will be asking: why did it take so long?
Read the full article in the BMJ:
