Remedy Scotland

The government has responded to an e-petition calling for the resignation of the Cheif Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson.

We believe that the time is now right to undertake a wider review of MMC and apply the lessons we have learned to a wider context. We therefore decided to establish an independent review, which will examine the processes underlying MMC and make recommendations to Ministers to ensure that we can implement any necessary improvements for 2008 and beyond.

This review is being chaired by Sir John Tooke, Dean of the Peninsula Medical School, Chair of the Council of Heads of Medical Schools and Chair of the UK Health Education Advisory Committee. It is being conducted independently of the four Health Departments and has its own independent secretariat. It will report on an interim basis in September.

The recruitment process is of course a crucial consideration, but we need to look at the broader MMC programme. The review will clarify and strengthen the principles underlying MMC, examining the extent to which MMC has engaged the medical profession and make recommendations to ensure that it has the support of the profession in the future. It will also look at the implementation processes underlying MMC and the methods used in selection and recruitment and how MMC can deliver a flexible response and can reflect local needs across the UK as well as safeguarding national standards.