HC Deb 14 December 1959 vol 615 cc1025-6
13. Mr. Lipton

asked the Minister of Health if he will require publication of the names of doctors fined by executive councils of the National Health Service for neglect of duty.

Mr. Walker-Smith

While all practices and procedures are kept under review, I do not at present think it would reflect the balance of the public interest to propose that the existing arrangements under which doctors enter into contracts with Executive Councils should be amended in this way.

Mr. Lipton

Would not the Minister agree that it must be a bad case before the doctor is fined in this way? Why does he still maintain that on balance it is in the public interest that a doctor who fails in his duty to his patients—for example, in refusing to visit a dying patient—should have his name shielded in this way by a secret tribunal?

Mr. Walker-Smith

They need not necessarily be serious cases which come within the ambit of this procedure whereby doctors have part of their remuneration withheld from them. There are some which are technical and relatively trivial offences where the harm done to a man's professional reputation would be out of proportion to the gravity of the offence with which he is charged.