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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
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| Expert witness changes proposed | Expert witness changes proposed |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A new centralised system for providing expert medical witnesses to family courts is to be proposed by the chief medical officer for England. | A new centralised system for providing expert medical witnesses to family courts is to be proposed by the chief medical officer for England. |
| Sir Liam Donaldson's plans come amid unease about the role of medical witnesses in alleged child abuse cases. | Sir Liam Donaldson's plans come amid unease about the role of medical witnesses in alleged child abuse cases. |
| Trials of mothers such as Sally Clark, jailed after being wrongly convicted of killing her two sons, have provoked public anger. | Trials of mothers such as Sally Clark, jailed after being wrongly convicted of killing her two sons, have provoked public anger. |
| And it is believed medical experts have been deterred from giving evidence. | And it is believed medical experts have been deterred from giving evidence. |
| We need to get the quality right, but we also need to make sure there are enough doctors prepared to take on this sort of work in the future Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer for England | |
| Currently, solicitors take responsibility for sourcing expert witnesses. | Currently, solicitors take responsibility for sourcing expert witnesses. |
| But Sir Liam is due to publish a report on Monday outlining proposed new arrangements. | But Sir Liam is due to publish a report on Monday outlining proposed new arrangements. |
| They would see a more structured system, called the National Knowledge Service, providing a larger pool of expert witnesses as part of the NHS. | They would see a more structured system, called the National Knowledge Service, providing a larger pool of expert witnesses as part of the NHS. |
| There would be new standards, aiming to guarantee the quality of work. | There would be new standards, aiming to guarantee the quality of work. |
| Sir Liam said the number of cases where there were problems with medical evidence were very small, but change was needed - partly because young doctors were now too intimidated to take on the essential work. | Sir Liam said the number of cases where there were problems with medical evidence were very small, but change was needed - partly because young doctors were now too intimidated to take on the essential work. |
| He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's something that younger doctors don't want to go into for a whole variety of reasons, including the very intimidating atmosphere that they perceive now surrounds this. | |
| Quality | Quality |
| "So we need to get the quality right, but we also need to make sure there are enough doctors prepared to take on this sort of work in the future. | "So we need to get the quality right, but we also need to make sure there are enough doctors prepared to take on this sort of work in the future. |
| "What we want to see is competent medical experts and that's what we're aiming to do with this report. I'm not criticising the existing experts." | "What we want to see is competent medical experts and that's what we're aiming to do with this report. I'm not criticising the existing experts." |
| The test of any system would be whether it gives enough incentives for more experts to come forward, and whether courts feel it gives them enough independence. | The test of any system would be whether it gives enough incentives for more experts to come forward, and whether courts feel it gives them enough independence. |
| In the case of Mrs Clark, retired paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow was struck off after giving flawed evidence at her 1999 trial. | In the case of Mrs Clark, retired paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow was struck off after giving flawed evidence at her 1999 trial. |
| He had told a jury there was a "one in 73 million" chance of two children dying from cot deaths in an affluent family. | He had told a jury there was a "one in 73 million" chance of two children dying from cot deaths in an affluent family. |
| Mrs Clark's conviction was later quashed in the Court of Appeal on grounds unrelated to Sir Roy's evidence. | Mrs Clark's conviction was later quashed in the Court of Appeal on grounds unrelated to Sir Roy's evidence. |