Family doctors facing examination by peers

The borough's 66 general practitioners are being appraised by a team of trained assessors.

The move is part of a nationwide initiative approved by the Royal Colleges and the British Medical Association (BMA) in the wake of scandals such as the Harold Shipman serial murder case.

It seeks to make doctors more accountable for their actions at the local level.

Darlington Primary Care Trust is said to be progressing well with the process.

Appraisals require doctors to prepare evidence showing continued professional development. They then have to undergo a three-hour interview with doctors who have been trained in assessment by Newcastle University's school of medicine and dentistry

Detailed reports on their performance are prepared, which have to be approved by the trust's clinical governance leader, Ahmet Fuat.

He said: "GPs in Darlington have been enthusiastic about the process. One nine-partner practice, including two appraisers, had all been appraised within a single day."

After the Shipman scandal and others, the Government realised that while the BMA and British Medical Council governed doctors at a national level, there was little locally to ensure they remained safe practitioners. So the Department of Health introduced annual appraisals to review GPs' work, ensuring they are keeping pace with developments.

"This is not a tool to catch people out, it is a support mechanism for GPs," said the Darlington trust's clinical governance manager, Liz Graham.

"All our GPs will have been appraised by the summer and the ones who have already taken part loved it. They were suspicious of the process at first, but now it is done they see it for what it is, a system to protect patients and support doctors."

Chairman of Darlington's professional executive committee, Dr Richard Harker, said the appraisals had gone well and there had been good co-operation from doctors.

"It has been viewed by doctors as a really positive process," he said.