{"id":41621,"date":"2018-03-13T10:00:22","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T09:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=41621"},"modified":"2018-03-19T11:25:25","modified_gmt":"2018-03-19T10:25:25","slug":"rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/","title":{"rendered":"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-41623\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/Rob-Hendry-910x1024.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"173\" height=\"184\" \/>Recent high profile cases against doctors have brought the offence of gross negligence manslaughter (GNM) into sharp focus and created an unprecedented level of debate and fear across the profession. In Scotland the offence does not exist\u2014so what is the comparable offence in Scotland and is it better suited to determining the culpability of a doctor in a patient death? As the government reviews GMN in healthcare in England, there has never been a more important time to debate this issue, argues Dr Rob Hendry from the Medical Protection Society.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"c7\">In England and Wales, when it is proven that a death has occured as a result of a grossly negligent act, or omission, the defendant is guilty of GNM. The leading case law in respect of GNM is known as the Adomako Test<sup class=\"c19\"><a id=\"ftnt_ref1\" href=\"#ftnt1\">[1]<\/a><\/sup>. The four stages<span class=\"c5\">\u00a0of the test are the existence of a duty of care to the deceased, a breach of that duty of care, which then causes (or significantly contributes to) the death of the victim, and that the breach was grossly negligent\u2014meaning that the departure from the proper standard of care was so serious it is judged as criminal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c5\">In the Adomako judgment, Lord Mackay also makes reference to <\/span>\u201c<span class=\"c5\">all the circumstances<\/span>\u201d<span class=\"c5\">\u00a0as part of the legal test for GNM<\/span><sup class=\"c10\"><a id=\"ftnt_ref2\" href=\"#ftnt2\">[2]<\/a><\/sup><span class=\"c5\">\u00a0 and many legal commentators believe that this has introduced a fifth feature to the test; criminality or badness<\/span>\u2014<span class=\"c5\">which is almost entirely subjective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c5\">A further crucial piece of case law in respect of healthcare professionals charged with GNM is <\/span><span class=\"c0\">Misra<\/span><sup class=\"c14\"><a id=\"ftnt_ref3\" href=\"#ftnt3\">[3]<\/a><\/sup><span class=\"c0\">. <\/span><span class=\"c5\">In the case of Misra, the court held that the conduct of the defendant in the course of performing professional obligations to their patient was <\/span>\u201c<span class=\"c5\">truly exceptionally bad,<\/span>\u201d<span class=\"c5\">\u00a0and showed a high degree of indifference to an obvious and serious risk to the patient\u2019s life.<\/span><sup class=\"c10\"><a id=\"ftnt_ref4\" href=\"#ftnt4\">[4]<\/a><\/sup><span class=\"c5\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c5\">A striking feature of the law in England and Wales is that intent, recklessness, or public interest in the prosecution are not required for a conviction. This means that the legal bar for convicting healthcare professionals of manslaughter is low, and I find it hard to see who benefits from this. A family has lost a loved one through tragic circumstances, a doctor may lose their career and face a prison sentence, the NHS has lost a valuable doctor, and fear of personal recrimination becomes increasingly embedded across healthcare.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\">Scotland has its own distinct legal and judicial system and the offence of GNM does not exist. The closest equivalent offence in Scotland is that of culpable homicide\u2014<span class=\"c5\">an offence often thought of as the little brother to the offence of murder. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c5\">Culpable homicide requires there to have been a death (a homicide) where someone is to blame (culpable). \u00a0It requires the causing of someone\u2019s death by an unlawful act, but in situations where the actions do not meet the test for murder. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\">For the prosecution to prove a charge of culpable homicide they would\u2014in stark contrast to the GNM offence in England and Wales\u2014need to establish that the accused committed an unlawful act;\u00a0that the unlawful act was intentional, reckless,\u00a0or grossly careless;<span class=\"c5\">\u00a0and that the death was a direct result of the unlawful act.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\">A further salient point from the approach in Scotland is that the prosecution of a healthcare professional for culpable homicide must be deemed as serving public interest. Each prosecution is considered by the procurator f<span class=\"c5\">iscal and authorised by the Lord Advocate before it can proceed. In arriving at a decision they have to balance the interests of justice with supporting a patient safety culture. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\">Clearly,<span class=\"c5\">\u00a0the legal and public test facing doctors in Scotland is quite different, and the bar considerably higher, to that in England and Wales. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c2\"><span class=\"c5\">Notably, there have been no convictions of culpable homicide in a medical setting in Scotland, although the Crown has considered cases and there has been one attempted prosecution resulting in acquittal. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c7\">The Medical Protection Society (MPS), in its response to the government\u2019s rapid review into GNM in healthcare, is proposing a bold approach. Firstly, that the law in England and Wales move towards the legal test for culpable homicide in Scotland, which requires an act to be intentional, reckless,\u00a0or grossly careless,\u00a0and\u00a0which<span class=\"c5\">\u00a0is better suited to determining the culpability of a doctor in a patient death.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c7\">Secondly, MPS is proposing that the director of public prosecution authorises all GNM prosecutions involving healthcare professionals. This, as in Scotland, would ensure that <span class=\"c5\">the vital question of whether public interest is served by a prosecution is considered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c7\">The law surrounding GNM in England and Wales needs to be reformed and there has never been a more important time to debate the options and learn from other judicial systems, such as Scotland. The rapid review of GNM\u00a0presents a crucial opportunity to explore this further.\u00a0If the g<span class=\"c5\">overnment is serious about creating an open, learning culture in healthcare, it is an opportunity that cannot be missed. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"h.inzbov5lolfb\" class=\"c18\"><em><span class=\"c6\">Dr <strong>Rob Hendry<\/strong> is <\/span><span class=\"c6\">m<\/span><span class=\"c6\">edical <\/span><span class=\"c6\">d<\/span><span class=\"c6\">irector at the Medical Protection Society (MPS). <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"h.gjdgxs\" class=\"c18\"><span class=\"c6\"><strong>Acknowledgment:<\/strong> Thanks to Dr Gordon McDavid, medicolegal adviser at MPS, for his contributions to this article. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c18\"><strong><span class=\"c3\">Competing interests:<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"c6\">\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"c6\">The<\/span><span class=\"c6\">\u00a0MPS provides the right to request access to expert advice and support on clinical negligence claims, complaints, GMC investigations, disciplinaries, inquests, and criminal charges such as gross negligence manslaughter. <\/span><span class=\"c6\">This article was not commissioned.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr class=\"c16\" \/>\n<div>\n<p class=\"c15\"><a id=\"ftnt1\" href=\"#ftnt_ref1\">[1]<\/a><span class=\"c1\">\u00a0R v Adomako [1994] UKHL 6 (30 June 1994)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"c15\"><a id=\"ftnt2\" href=\"#ftnt_ref2\">[2]<\/a><span class=\"c1\">\u00a0Ibid <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"c15\"><a id=\"ftnt3\" href=\"#ftnt_ref3\">[3]<\/a><span class=\"c1\">\u00a0R v Misra [2005] <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"c15\"><a id=\"ftnt4\" href=\"#ftnt_ref4\">[4]<\/a><span class=\"c1\">\u00a0Ibid<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recent high profile cases against doctors have brought the offence of gross negligence manslaughter (GNM) into sharp focus and created an unprecedented level of debate and fear across the profession. [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/\">More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[236],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhs"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position? - The BMJ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position? - The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recent high profile cases against doctors have brought the offence of gross negligence manslaughter (GNM) into sharp focus and created an unprecedented level of debate and fear across the profession. [...]More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The BMJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-13T09:00:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-03-19T10:25:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"350\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"BMJ\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bmj_latest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"BMJ\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"BMJ\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe\"},\"headline\":\"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-13T09:00:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-19T10:25:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":921,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"NHS\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/\",\"name\":\"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position? - The BMJ\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-13T09:00:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-03-19T10:25:25+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg\",\"width\":540,\"height\":350},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/2018\\\/03\\\/13\\\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"description\":\"Helping doctors make better decisions.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The BMJ\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/files\\\/2018\\\/05\\\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg\",\"width\":852,\"height\":568,\"caption\":\"The BMJ\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/bmjdotcom\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/bmj_latest\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe\",\"name\":\"BMJ\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"BMJ\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/bmj\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position? - The BMJ","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position? - The BMJ","og_description":"Recent high profile cases against doctors have brought the offence of gross negligence manslaughter (GNM) into sharp focus and created an unprecedented level of debate and fear across the profession. [...]More...","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/","og_site_name":"The BMJ","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","article_published_time":"2018-03-13T09:00:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-03-19T10:25:25+00:00","og_image":[{"width":540,"height":350,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"BMJ","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@bmj_latest","twitter_site":"@bmj_latest","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"BMJ","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/"},"author":{"name":"BMJ","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe"},"headline":"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position?","datePublished":"2018-03-13T09:00:22+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-19T10:25:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/"},"wordCount":921,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg","articleSection":["NHS"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/","name":"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position? - The BMJ","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-13T09:00:22+00:00","dateModified":"2018-03-19T10:25:25+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/03\/hospital_ward_busy.jpg","width":540,"height":350},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2018\/03\/13\/rob-hendry-gross-negligence-manslaughter-does-not-exist-in-scotland-is-it-time-to-move-english-law-towards-the-scottish-position\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rob Hendry: Gross negligence manslaughter does not exist in Scotland\u2014is it time to move English law towards the Scottish position?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","name":"The BMJ","description":"Helping doctors make better decisions.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#organization","name":"The BMJ","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/files\/2018\/05\/The-BMJ-logo.jpg","width":852,"height":568,"caption":"The BMJ"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bmjdotcom\/","https:\/\/x.com\/bmj_latest"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/#\/schema\/person\/ba3da426ed20e8f1d933ca367d8216fe","name":"BMJ","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b4d8f39281bcae118348a1c027347b8e53b82d42520e774a8b50dd9a6ac6c01d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"BMJ"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}