DAME Janet Smith pulls no punches in her condemnation of the General Medical Council in her final report on the Harold Shipman scandal.

The GMC is pulled apart as an organisation which has too often failed patients with genuine concerns by siding with doctors.

That should, of course, come as no surprise because it is made up of members elected by doctors. It is a cosy, arrogant, complacent body ripe for reform.

Just as we disagree with the system which allows police officers to investigate complaints against other police officers, we disagree with the medical profession investigating alleged failings by its own members.

For there to be public confidence that complaints about malpractice are vigorously pursued, an independent method of conducting inquiries must be established.

The case of Richard Neale - the consultant gynaecologist whose incompetence shattered public confidence in North Yorkshire - is another classic example of patients' voices falling on deaf ears within the health service.

We therefore endorse Dame Janet's call for the GMC to be stripped of its right to judge misconduct cases, and for an impartial tribunal to be set up to deal with such cases.

It must be remembered that the medical profession is blessed with a majority of highly skilled and dedicated doctors. But the few who fail their patients must be rooted out as swiftly as possible.

That can only be done if arrogance, complacency and bias are replaced by a culture of listening, urgency, and independence.