A CAMPAIGN to keep hearings into the conduct of doctors public has been launched.
The Newspaper Society (NS), which represents 1,200 local newspapers, including the Liverpool Daily Post, wants to make sure General Medical Council (GMC) fitness to practise hearings remain open to the press and public.
A consultation document has recommended that more cases should be decided behind closed doors, to reduce the number of “long and stressful” public hearings.
The GMC claims patient protection is the driving force behind the reform.
But a spokesperson for the NS said: “Public hearings make a key contribution to transparency and public confidence. The current system ensures that the press and public can actually attend the full hearing.”
