Following the news that the GMC continues to appeal MPTS verdicts despite the recommendations made by the Williams Review and the outpouring of concern from doctors following the Bawa-Garba case, Treasurer Dr Rinesh Parmar spoke to GPOnline.
DAUK has replied to a letter from Charlie Massey dated 13 September. We welcome the apology offered by Mr Massey and the opportunity to meet. DAUK has, however, expressed concern in a number of areas, including the news that the GMC is continuing to appeal MPTS verdicts, and call on the GMC to cease doing so urgently.
DAUK has received a reply from Mr Charlie Massey, CEO of the GMC, to a letter sent on the 21st August from DAUK and 1200 GMC registered doctors, including Dr Philippa Whitford MP.
We welcome Mr Massey’s apology and will be taking him up on his offer to meet DAUK.
Dr Philippa Whitford MP joins The Doctors’ Association UK in leading the call of over 1200 UK doctors for a public investigation into the GMC’s handling of the Bawa-Garba case. Collectively, we call for the GMC to take responsibility for its actions and learn valuable lessons from the outcome of this case. Applying a genuinely reflective approach, as is expected of doctors in their practice, would be a significant step in restoring the confidence and trust in the GMC as a regulatory body.
DAUK Chair Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, who sat in court during the Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba appeal tells GPonline: ‘Particularly concerning to all of us has been the GMC’s line of argument. To an observer, it seems the crux of their argument is that system failures were not relevant in Hadiza’s case, and should not have been taken into account by the MPTS when determining her level of culpability and her sanction.’
Learn Not Blame is DAUK’s exciting new campaign, which will be launched over the coming months. We aim to empower individual doctors to be part of a transformational change process working towards a revolution in the culture of the NHS. The campaign has been born out of a growing awareness amongst clinicians of how a toxic mix of defensiveness and concern for reputation management above all else can lead to blame-seeking culture. This is bad for doctors and worse still for patient safety.
‘The GMC’s aggressive pursuit of an otherwise highly regarded doctor, against the advice of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), that has prompted widespread outrage amongst doctors. This serious error of judgement on the part of Mr Charlie Massey, which was also criticised by the Professional Standards Authority, has led to an unprecedented loss of confidence in the regulator by the medical profession.’
