The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7313 p253
21 August 2004

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Letters to the Editor

Shipman inquiry

Like arranging deckchairs on the Titanic

From Mr C. Morris, MRPharmS

I am writing to thank Mandie Lavin for pointing out that we can report inappropriate use of Controlled Drugs to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society instead of having to try to break the ranks of the General Medical Council, and for pointing out that if we believe a prescription to be incorrect we should not dispense even if the doctor has confirmed it (PJ, 31 July, p147); but I must say something regarding the addition of a patient’s condition to a prescription.

If only this had been in place when Shipman was practising, or even a better, a little box saying: “Please tick this box if drug is to be used to euthanise patient.” Shipman would have ticked it and would have been caught immediately!

When will people realise that those who intend to kill may lie about it. A doctor could write one prescription for 20 ampoules of diamorphine, write “cancer patient” on the prescription, collect the medicines and have enough drug to kill dozens, without raising any eyebrows.

Several good things have come of the Shipman Inquiry: the loss of the cumbersome handwritten CD book would be good and logging in the name of the person collecting may help, but they could lie about that, too.

The major problem with Harold Shipman was the fact that one doctor could sign the death certificate and report that no autopsy was needed; if this were not the case Shipman would have been unable to operate the way he did. The Shipman Inquiry really needs to do one thing: break the autonomy of GPs. If it does not do this anything else it does just amounts to arranging deckchairs on the Titanic.

Chris Morris
Newquay, Cornwall

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