Careful analysis needed in cases of complaints

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008. Letter to the Times, unpublished.

Sir,
I was sorry to read of Ms B's experience with a therapist
and glad to see it reach the light of day in the Times
[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/letters/article4418189.ece],
it touches on a central point. Is State Regulation of the profession going to
improve the practice or will it simply make it more difficult for
aggrieved patients to get their voices heard? The kind of regulation
that is likely to result from Ms B's demand will probably lead
to two linked outcomes: to scape-goat someone in a public show trial
whilst closing the ranks not only of the practitioners but also of
the bureaucrats who she suggests should regulate them. Actually this
kind of thing is already happening through the work of the Health
Professionals Council and Skills for Health. The perverse outcome is
the creation of rules that claim to define ‘best practice’. This
leaves the poor patient with absolutely nowhere to go – so long as
the rules are followed, the practitioner is safe. It also leads this
country back into the dark ages, for this is neither art not science.
It is the worse kind of bureaucracy. The practical answer can only be
enlightenment: the long slog through the difficult terrain of
analysing the theories that channel the actions of people caught up
in conflict. There are no easy answers, but nor is there need for Ms
B or the rest of us, to give up working on the process.

Yours faithfully
Janet Low
SE27