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Chief Medical Officer
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Sir Liam Donaldson, is the UK Government's principal medical adviser and the professional head of all medical staff in England. These pages provide up-to-date information on key public health and clinical quality issues and offer access to CMO reports and publications.
A severe form of avian influenza or ‘bird’ flu – called H5N1 – has affected poultry flocks and other birds in several countries since 2003. More than two hundred and fifty people have also caught the infection, over one hundred and fifty of whom have subsequently died, raising public concern about the possibility of further spread among humans and even a pandemic. This regularly updated feature explains the background to the disease, and assesses the nature of the risk to people living in the UK.
The annual influenza ‘flu’ jab campaign was launched on 2 October 2006, to encourage people at risk from the complications that can be associated with flu to get immunised. The ‘Flu watch’ feature will be regularly updated throughout the winter of 2006 - 2007 to provide information on the impact of flu on public health.
Following the publication, in July 2006, of the Chief Medical Officer’s review of medical regulation, Good doctors, safer patients, and extensive public consultation, the Department of Health has published a White Paper, which sets out proposals on how to regulate health professionals and ensure patient safety in the UK. The Government has also published its response to the Fifth Report of the Shipman Inquiry which sets out new safeguards for society, and an overview of the Government’s proposals and actions in relation to all the recommendations in the six reports of the Shipman Inquiry.
In the United Kingdom, honours are normally awarded twice a year. A small number are awarded to medical professionals. A full list of those receiving honours is published on HM The Queens Birthday in the middle of June and at the New Year. Anyone can nominate an individual for an honour. However, the process is extremely competitive. Further guidance on how to make a nomination is available through the Cabinet Office.
The most recent surveillance data indicates that the overall rate of influenza reports has exceeded the threshold at which the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the use of antiviral drugs are triggered. In line with the NICE guidance, the use of antiviral drugs for the prevention or treatment of influenza is now recommended. (8 February 2007)
This Urgent Communication provides an update to health professionals on the measures that have been taken to protect people who may have been exposed to the risk of infection in the current avian influenza incident in Suffolk, and provides guidance on the information that can be provided to anyone who may be concerned (7 February 2007)
CMO Update is a newsletter sent by the Chief Medical Officer to all doctors in England. This special edition of CMO Update provides an overview of the Chief Medical Officer’s report on medical regulation, Good doctors, safer patients. It includes the history of medical regulation, the current situation and the report’s recommendations.
The revised progress report from the Chief Medical Officer 'Preventing Meningitis' provides information about meningitis, its symptoms and the campaigns that have been organised to help fight the disease. It also includes information about meningococcal septicaemia, the more life-threatening form of meningococcal disease.
Sir Liam Donaldson answers questions about Modenising Medical Careers (MMC), in this podcast on the MMC website.
This report was commissioned by Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, to reconsider the organisation arrangements currently in place to ensure that patient safety is at the heart of the healthcare agenda. The report makes a number of key recommendations to build on the progress already achieved in embedding patient safety in the NHS.
The Chief Medical Officer's report Bearing Good Witness: Proposals for reforming the delivery of medical expert evidence in family law cases has been launched for a period of public consultation, from 30th October 2006 to 28th February 2007. The report was originally commissioned in 2004 by Ministers Dr Stephen Ladyman MP and Mrs Margaret Hodge MP, in response to some very high profile court cases that called into question the quality of medical expert witnesses in certain types of case. We would welcome your views on the CMO's report.
The Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2005 highlights the health challenges that face us in the UK, and details the progress that has been made in key action areas that were identified in the Annual Report 2004.
The Chief Medical Officer was asked to undertake a broad review of medical regulation. The resulting report, Good doctors, safer patients, advises Ministers on measures to strengthen the arrangements in place for the protection of patients. It contains 44 detailed recommendations. Proposed changes include devolving some of the powers of the GMC to a local level, changing its structure and function, and creating a new framework for revalidation.
The Expert Patients Programme provides lay-led, group based support for people, in the self-management of their long-term condition. The programme offers a tool-kit of fundamental techniques that patients can undertake to improve their quality of life, living with a long-term condition. This report from the Chief Medical Officer provides an update on the programme.
Updates on news in key public health areas. Read the latest on immunisation, vCJD, emergency preparedness, patient safety, heatwave plans and more.
In cases where information needs to reach health professionals especially quickly, the CMO issues urgent advice electronically via the 'Public Health Link System'. A catalogue of these communications is publicly accessible.
These pages are aimed at NHS staff with a particular interest in, or responsibility for, safety of equipment, buildings and patients, including Safety Alert Broadcast System liaison officers in NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts. The safety alerts are also likely to be of interest to other organisations which deliver patient care.
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