Yesterday the GMC announced the working group for Dame Clare Marx's independent review into gross negligence manslaughter (GNM) in healthcare following the case of Dr Bawa-Garba.

The review will consider the following:

 * Whether GNM cases properly take account of the role system pressures can play in cases when patients die.

* How GMC guidance and communication around reflective practice could be improved.

* What happens after a fatal incident; the impact of criminal investigations; inquiries by a coroner, the regulatory process and GMC FTP procedures.

* The equivalent offence of culpable homicide in Scotland.

* The findings of the Williams Review on GNM commissioned by Jeremy Hunt, and expected shortly.

The 10 members are Dr Clare Gerada, Leslie Hamilton, Professor Pali Hungin, Bertie Leigh, Liz McAnulty, Vivienne Parry, Selva Ramasamy, Professor Iqbal Singh, Dr Jude Tweedie, and Dr Iain Wallace.

The medical and legal community will await the Marx review, which will be published early in 2019,  with great interest.  In the meantime, the Court of Appeal hearing against the Divisional Court's decision to erase Dr Bawa-Garba from the medical register is expected to be heard in July 2018.

The group will examine what needs to be done to improve how existing law, procedures and processes are applied, while still protecting the public and maintaining confidence in the medical profession.