The Commission for Health Improvement conducted an inquiry into the work of locum consultants following the case of Dr J S Elwood, a locum Pathologist whose standard of work raised serious concerns. CHI also heard evidence from the LDA on locums. The report makes several recommendations on good practise in the recruitment and monitoring of locum consultants. What it does not stress is that Dr Elwood was 76 years old, a retired NHS consultant with accreditation, CCST and College approval of his appointments which were often without any reference or a formal CV.

These points clearly distinguish Dr Elwood from the vast majority of locum doctors in the NHS who represent a very different category of doctors. The report was critical of the Royal College of Pathologists who tried to unfairly protect Dr Elwood’s poor standard of work. That is an example of typical Royal College cover-up for the sins of those they patronise. Appointing retired doctors as locums is a recommendation of the DOH’s Code of Practice in the Recruitment and Selection of Locums and the Audit Commission report on locums that has backfired.

BMA’S REVALIDATION BETRAYAL

THE PROFESSION’S INJUSTICE TO HOSPITAL LOCUMS. The GMC intends to use folders or portfolios for revalidating doctors. This was LDA’s suggestion since it is the only way of applying the process fairly to all categories of doctors.

Reports from Hospital Doctor suggest that the BMA’s leaders want to be revalidated on the basis of a piece of paper capable of falsely certifying doctors as being fit to revalidate without the actual existence of any folders of evidence to back this up. Such a system would enable status quo culture to continue for the privileged members of the profession. It would tend to discourage further reviews of a bad doctor’s work after they were successfully ‘revalidated’; and it would serve as a double-edged weeding tool for locums and other categories of doctors not enjoying the usual NHS patronage. It would frustrate the objectives of revalidation rather than prevent other Bristols and Shipmans.