Local doctors face check-ups

Thursday 24th July 2008, 2:29PM BST.

DOCTORS in Guernsey could be subjected to the same scrutiny as their UK counterparts.

Dr Brian Parkin (pictured), spokesman for the Guernsey division of the British Medical Association, said the island would be affected by the UK Government’s plan to introduce a system whereby doctors are relicensed every five years to test their medical competence.

‘If it happens in the UK, then it will happen here too because we are also registered and regulated by the General Medical Council,’ he said. Dr Parkin could not comment very precisely on the plans until further details were released, but he did say their compilation might be a knee-jerk reaction to the Harold Shipman murders.

‘There has been talk of introducing doctor reviews since the Shipman inquiry and various proposals have been made and discussed.’