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HomeMedico-LegalGMC grossly mishandled junior doctor case — UK doctors

GMC grossly mishandled junior doctor case — UK doctors

Bawa-Garba
Hadiza Bawa-Garba

Hospital doctors in the UK have told the CEO of the General Medical Council (GMC) his position is “untenable” after his handling of the case of a junior doctor struck off when a six-year-old boy died in her care. The Independent reports that Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba, who was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter over the death of Jack Adcock, won a bid last month to be reinstated on the register of medical professionals at the Court of Appeal earlier this month.

The report says many doctors have argued important issues pertaining to the case, including staff shortages, IT failures on the day and inappropriate working conditions, had all been ignored by the GMC.

Jack, who suffered from Down’s syndrome and a known heart condition, died at Leicester Royal Infirmary of a cardiac arrest as a result of sepsis in February 2011. Bawa-Garba was found to have made several mistakes in the lead up to Jack’s death. She briefly stopped CPR on him after he went into cardiac arrest, mistaking him for another patient, although this was not deemed to have contributed to his death.

The report says the paediatrician was initially suspended for a year by a tribunal, but was later struck off after the GMC appealed the sanction at the High Court, claiming it did not protect the public. However, the appeal decision earlier this month upheld the original tribunal ruling in June 2017, confirming it was right to take mitigating factors into account and clearing Bawa-Garba to return to work.

Now, the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) union is warning GMC CEO Charlie Massey the organisation may never restore the confidence of the medical profession under his leadership. The HCSA is quoted in the report as saying it had several specific concerns around Massey’s conduct, including what it described as his personal decision to attempt to override the tribunal’s decision in the case.

“While there are wider cultural issues about the GMC’s treatment of doctors facing complaints, the gross mishandling of this specific case, including the decision to launch a renewed personal attack on the integrity of Dr Bawa-Garba as part of the GMC’s defence in the appeal court, appears to be the sole responsibility of Charlie Massey,” HCSA executive member Dr John West said. “It now seems that the GMC will only be able to draw a line under this disastrous episode via the departure of its main architect.”

The report says doctors and supporters of Dr Bawa-Garba had raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to hire an independent legal team in order to help her fight her deregistration. Many argued the junior doctor was being scapegoated for systemic failures at the hospital, which were becoming increasingly common across the NHS as a whole.

A spokesperson for the GMC is quoted in the report as saying: “We recognise the anger felt by many doctors about this case. As an independent regulator responsible for protecting patient safety, we are frequently called upon to make difficult decisions, and we do not take that responsibility lightly.

“We have fully accepted the Court of Appeal‘s judgment, in what was a complex and unusual case.”

[link url="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/bawa-garba-gmc-charlie-massey-reinstated-appeal-resign-hcsa-jack-adcock-a8510156.html"]The Independent report[/link]

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