19 doctors whose mistakes led to fatal errors had been let off with a warning by the GMC.

Secrecy row over GP who sent away dying girl for being late: Medic who refused to treat five-year-old was disciplined behind closed doors and let off with a warning 


Medical chiefs were branded an ‘absolute disgrace’ last night after it emerged a GP who refused to treat a critically ill five-year-old girl was disciplined in secret.
Ellie-May Clark, from Newport, South Wales, died of an asthma attack five hours after Dr Joanne Rowe refused to see her, claiming she was eight minutes late for her emergency appointment.
Yet despite the appalling error, the doctor’s watchdog agreed to discipline Dr Rowe, 53, in a secret hearing intended to shield doctors from the ‘stress’ of public exposure


Astonishingly, Dr Rowe was let off with a 294-word warning by the General Medical Council (GMC) in May last year. It concluded her failings were ‘not so serious’ to warrant her being struck off.
She was allowed to carry on working at a new surgery in Cardiff, yet none of her patients would have known about her fatal mistake had they not been exposed by a Sunday newspaper.
Doctors can avoid public ‘fitness to practise’ hearings if they accept an initial sanction, or, as in the case of Dr Rowe, if they agree to accept a written warning not to do it again.
But yesterday MPs said the GMC appeared to be protecting the welfare of doctors and the profession above the public’s right to know about their fatal errors.


Andrew Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: ‘The way in which this has been handled needs to be exposed, and it’s an absolute disgrace that hearings of this kind can be held behind closed doors.
‘One can only feel huge sympathy for the Clark family, and I will be seeking an urgent meeting with the GMC to establish what steps are being taken to ensure that this never happens again.
‘The public must be able to have confidence that the disciplinary process is configured to protect patient safety - not the profession.’
He added: ‘A young child has paid the ultimate price for the negligence of a doctor who chose to put clock-watching above her responsibility to provide treatment, and people will be scratching their heads trying to understand how she has escaped with such a lenient punishment.’


Dr James Davies, a qualified GP and Tory MP, said he would be meeting the GMC ‘in the interests of transparency.’
He said: ‘This was a tragic incident and I note from the GMC register that a formal warning was issued to the doctor concerned in May of last year. I understand that in this instance, the case did not go to tribunal.
‘In the interests of transparency and in order to ensure confidence in the fitness to practise regulations, it is important that patients are always clear why and how such processes have been followed. I intend to discuss this with the GMC.’
The failings were exposed in a ‘confidential’ report from the local health board, which oversees GP surgeries in the area where Ellie-May Clark lived with her mother.
It found the ‘bright and fun-loving girl was sent home from school early on 26 January, 2015, because teachers were concerned her asthma was ‘deteriorating’.
Her mother Shanice, 25, made an emergency appointment at The Grange Clinic in Newport and was told to arrive at 5pm.
But that gave her just 25 minutes to arrange childcare for her two-month-old baby, and she had to plead with a friend to give her and Ellie-May a lift to the surgery a mile away.
Miss Clark claims her mobile phone was showing 5.04pm when she arrived and was faced with a queue at the reception desk.



But she was turned away and an NHS ‘serious concern’ report claimed Dr Rowe shouted at a receptionist: ‘No, I’m not seeing her she’s late.’
After being turned away, Miss Clark took her daughter home. But five hours later, at 10.35pm, she suffered a seizure and stopped breathing.
The unconscious schoolgirl was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital by ambulance with Miss Clark following in a police car, but tragically she was pronounced dead.
A subsequent health board investigation found staff were ‘fearful of questioning’ Dr Rowe, who claimed to be prone to ‘angry outbursts’.
It concluded the ‘root cause’ of Ellie-May’s death was that Dr Rowe refused to see her ‘because she was brought in late.’
It also revealed that Dr Rowe had been warned months earlier by a paediatrician that Ellie-May was ‘at risk of another episode of severe / life-threatening asthma.’
She agreed to attend a GMC hearing in May last year, held behind closed doors, where she agreed to have a written warning added to her record, which will be removed in five years.
Ellie-May’s grandmother, Brandi Clark, 43, said: ‘They were a few minutes late and Shanice even told the receptionist they wouldn’t be there on time.
‘But Dr Rowe was angry that they weren’t punctual and sent them away. Her decision cost our gorgeous little girl her life.
‘Our lives have been shattered but Dr Rowe has been allowed to get a new job and quietly move on with her life as if nothing ever happened.’
An Aneurin Bevan University Health Board spokeswoman said: ‘Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Ellie-May.
‘We can confirm that Dr Rowe no longer works within the health board area, and also that we referred the doctor to the GMC who investigated in accordance with their procedures.’
Earlier this month the Mail revealed how 19 doctors whose mistakes led to fatal errors had been let off with a warning by the GMC.
Their identities and details of their mistakes would have remained a secret had they not been exposed in a freedom of information request.
Allegations against doctors are considered by two senior GMC staff, who can choose to take no further action, to issue a warning, to agree re-training, or to refer to a medical tribunal.
Warnings are held against a medic’s name on the GMC register for five years, after which they are cleared entirely, but they are not displayed in surgeries.
Charlie Massey, Chief Executive of the General Medical Council, said: ‘We strive to keep patients and their families fully informed about the progress of our investigations. We accept that this didn’t happen in this case and we would like to apologise to the family for not doing so. We will contact the Clark family to discuss this further.
‘Formal warnings are issued after a thorough investigation, when a doctor’s behaviour or performance shows a significant departure from the standards we expect of them. We publish the warning - detailing the shortcomings in the care provided - on the online register for all patients and employers to see.
‘Only when two case examiners decide that a warning is appropriate – and the doctor has not disputed the facts – we will issue this serious response, which remains on a doctor’s pubic record for five years.
‘As part of revalidation we expect all doctors to have reflected on significant events, feedback from patients, and complaints, in order to demonstrate they are fit to practise.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4262458/Row-GP-sent-away-dying-girl-late.html

THE UNTOUCHABLES!

Appalling, so sad for this poor child and for her family. 

"First do no harm" part of Drs oath, it seems clock watching came before that oath! 

I hope the parents sue and the Dr struck off, outraged that she can continue to work in that capacity without new patients knowing of disciplinary action, or that her lack of care to a 5 year old caused her death. 

The GMC needs an overhaul in my opinion. 

Perhaps the U.K. government can step in?

It was reported this doctor was prone to angry outbursts

No wonder if she feels she can get away with anything and it looks as though she has (for now).

I believe that people who are paid by taxpayers should be made to undergo random alcohol/drug testing because I also believe that in some instances this does play a part in some of their attitudes.

They are not God even though some think they are.

plebgate wrote:It was reported this doctor was prone to angry outbursts

No wonder if she feels she can get away with anything and it looks as though she has (for now).

I believe that people who are paid by taxpayers should be made to undergo random alcohol/drug testing because I also believe that in some instances this does play a part in some of their attitudes.

They are not God even though some think they are.

She appears to be a nasty piece of work, to say nothing about her being a liar.  But doctors don't lie...............do they?

plebgate wrote:It was reported this doctor was prone to angry outbursts

No wonder if she feels she can get away with anything and it looks as though she has (for now).

I believe that people who are paid by taxpayers should be made to undergo random alcohol/drug testing because I also believe that in some instances this does play a part in some of their attitudes.

They are not God even though some think they are.

God forbid that this wasn't a receptionist who many think the same ( words in bold above) 

Would they still have their job and the same secrecy applied ? 


No, don't think so for one minute!