New development: A game of responsibility? The regulation of health and social care professionals

Abstract

The UK's law commissions in a recent joint report have recommended that individual regulatory bodies for medical and other healthcare professions receive more decision-making power and that procedural regulation (for example fitness to practice proceedings) be standardized. Patient wellbeing and professional standing of practitioners are likely to be deeply affected. The legislative process needs to be scrutinized closely to ascertain that government and regulatory bodies do not use the reform to shirk accountability and engage in a blame game.

Keywords:

• Blame game
• healthcare policy
• medical standards
• public sector reform
• regulatory reform

Notes

* Law Commission, Scottish Law Commission, Northern Ireland Law Commission (2014), Regulation of Health Care Professionals/Regulation of Social Care Professionals in England. Cm 8339. See http://lawcommission.justice.gov.uk/docs/ lc345_regulation_of_healthcare_professionals.pdf

* A similar blame game occurred in the case of charity law reform culminating in the Charities Act 2006. The strengthened regulator, the Charity Commission, was entrusted with the design and enforcement of a new public benefit test that was met with controversy in the media. In turn, it deflected the blame by pointing out that government had cut its budget by over 30%, leaving it unable to fulfil its new regulatory duties.