According to the doctor's insurance organisation the Medical Protection Society there's been a tendency since the Harold Shipman case for the authorities to suspend doctors unnecessarily quickly from their work whenever a problem arises. Some doctors particularly GPs feel they are operating in quite a different climate after the Shipman and Rodney Ledward cases. Gerald Panting is head of policy with the Medical Protection Society.
Two GPs in particular say they've suffered. Dr Peter Lindsay and Dr John Gordon were arrested in unrelated incidents and accused of killing their patients. In both cases, a police inquiry found there was no truth in the charges and they were dropped. They have spoken exclusively about their experiences to our reporter, Andrew Hosken.
Health Minister John Denham, however, defends his Government's record on the treatment of doctors and says that there are measures in place to encourage doctors, especially GP's to set up in practice in inner city areas.
