BMJ  2007;334:1139-1141 (2 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39219.530463.AD

Feature

Expert witnesses

Standing up for justice

London

The chief medical officer is due to finalise his plans for a radical overhaul of the expert medical witness system. The entire exercise, says Jonathan Gornall, was based on a false premise and is a flawed and redundant gesture that will only worsen the supply of experts to the family courts

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Bearing Good Witness, the chief medical officer's blueprint for radical reform of the medical expert witness system in the family courts, begins with an extraordinary admission. In the preface Liam Donaldson notes that he was asked to produce his report "in response to some very high-profile court cases that called into question the quality of medical expert witnesses."¹ Then he adds: "In developing my proposals, it has become clear to me that the problem is more one of supply than of quality."

It was an acknowledgement that despite the media response to the quashing of Sally Clark's and Angela Cannings' convictions for murdering their children, and what many believe was the government's attendant over-reaction, the quality of expert witnesses was not a substantial concern. The real problem, as Professor Donaldson realised, was a shortage of experts. To the dismay of professionals, however, Professor Donaldson offered no solution to the . . . [Full text of this article]

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Michael D Innis
bmj.com, 4 Jun 2007 [Full text]

Keep the gravy train rolling - Gornall

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