Supporters of the controversial Medical Innovation Bill claim that we don’t yet have a cure for cancer because doctors are afraid to use innovative treatments and practices for fear of being sued. They claim that relaxing the law to allow doctors effectively to do whatever they like to a patient will resolve this. This claim is not only false, but plays on public emotion. The current law is clear and does not restrict doctors or innovation with regard to cancer or other forms of disease.

Only recently, it was announced that there is to be a major injection of resources to help develop new treatments for dementia. Clearly, what really stifles innovation and research is a lack of resources, not a problem with the law.

Medical authorities, defendant lawyers, patient groups, and charities all echo my concerns that the Bill still does not include any provisions for a doctor to at least gain agreement from a fellow medic that to stray from standard treatment is a correct, and safe, course of action for the patient. It merely requires that the doctor ‘consults’ with a colleague, who could disagree vehemently and the doctor could still proceed.

The Bill is due for its second reading in the House of Commons. It survived fierce scrutiny in the House of Lords and it is now up to MPs to reject it and not sleepwalk into a patient safety nightmare.

John Spencer President, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) 3 Alder Court Rennie Hogg Road Nottingham NG2 1RX