‘Most doctors back recommendations’
Mr Richard Packard
Mr Richard Packard, chairman of the Federation of Independent Practitioner Organisations – which through its membership organisations is representative of around 15,000 consultants working in private practice – said of the Government’s reaction to the Paterson Inquiry:
‘I believe that the majority of private consultants are pleased with the Government’s endorsement of most of the Paterson recommendations and think this will restore public confidence and the general perception of private healthcare which provides such a helpful adjunct to the NHS in these challenging times.
‘The consultants will need support from their providers in order to make sure these recommendations are implemented.
‘In particular, funders will need to take responsibility for financially supporting their expert input to ensure effective multidisciplinary team meetings where indicated.
‘It is important that professional integrity is maintained and while independent oversight is necessary, we are keen to ensure that box ticking mechanisms are not adopted at the expense of medical professionalism.
‘As the original architect of guidelines for medical advisory committees, a member of the Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework advisory group and a provider of appraisals, FIPO is keen to start working with providers to develop independent professional oversight by doctors for doctors and their patients and this should start immediately.’