A system to monitor death rates among GP patients is needed to maintain public trust in doctors following the activities of serial killer Harold Shipman, researchers have said.

New research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) revealed that such schemes do not yet exist on a widespread basis.

But the report, written by Richard Baker of Leicester University, said that it would be difficult to set up an effective system.

Shipman was jailed for life in 2000 for murdering 15 patients registered with his practice in Hyde, Greater Manchester.

Monitoring mortality rates among general practitioners' patients would help maintain public trust The BMJ report

A subsequent inquiry has decided that he was responsible for the deaths of at least 215 patients during his career.

Medical experts fear the case has damaged the trust traditionally held by patients for their GPs.

In a review of Shipman's clinical practice, it was suggested that a system could be developed to monitor mortality of GPs' patients.

The authors of the BMJ report warned that random year-to-year variations in death rates would make it hard to spot unusually high mortality levels for particular years.

Monitoring would also have to be simple and cost-effective and added that multi-GP surgeries would have to be rated by practice rather than GP.

The report concluded: "Monitoring mortality rates among general practitioners' patients would help maintain public trust.

"Better information about mortality rates in general practice could also facilitate the planning and monitoring of clinical policies to gradually reduce mortality."