The £21 million question: Was the Shipman Inquiry worth the cost?
In short: Lady Justice Janet Smith reflects on the massive public inquiry into Harold Shipman, the doctor who killed hundreds of patients. She offers a rare, candid assessment of whether the four-year investigation achieved its goals.
The inquiry examined 1,000 cases following the murders of between 218 and 280 people by Shipman. While the investigation was exhaustive, Smith admits it was not 'worth it' regarding the specific review of death certification systems. She notes that the inquiry's recommendations on this front largely mirrored those already made by Tom Luce, suggesting a public inquiry may not have been the correct mechanism for that specific procedural oversight.
The lecture serves as a critical retrospective on the balance between the necessity of justice and the efficiency of public oversight.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Shipman Inquiry: Was it worth it? [Part 3] by Lady Justice Janet Smith
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