Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

1 2 3

News

Meadows found guilty of professional misconduct by GMC

66 replies

mummytosteven · 13/07/2005 13:14

HERE

OP posts:

Report

tatt · 13/07/2005 13:21

hooray. Stupid man still feels he gave the right evidence. His arrogance has ruined lives. I'm not sure what a suitable punishment would be but just being found guilty is a big start.

Report

aloha · 13/07/2005 13:22

YES! he'll only get a slap on the wrist, but it's a start.

Report

ark · 15/07/2005 16:00

he has been struck off! Gosh - breaking news on bbc web site

Report

snafu · 15/07/2005 16:04

struck off

Report

LunarSea · 15/07/2005 16:08

He's been struck off - here

Report

LunarSea · 15/07/2005 16:08

doh - crossposted!

Report

Willow2 · 15/07/2005 16:09

wow - that is such fantastic news

Report

LunarSea · 15/07/2005 16:16

Though it does mean that Bunglies case against him at the GMC won't now be heard I think. Can't help wondering if they knew there were so many other upcoming cases against him, and the publicity that multiple cases against one doctor might generate, that they've taken the soft option in a way by getting him on the misuse of statistics, rather than on the diagnosis and court evidence without ever meeting or examining the person he's "diagnosing".

Report

Iklboo · 15/07/2005 16:20

He's got 28 days to appeal too.

Report

franke · 15/07/2005 16:21

I think you've got a point actually lunarsea. I can't help thinking this is a hollow victory - all he's been found guilty of is misusing statistics in one case. And in that case the woman had her conviction quashed for another reason - i.e. another doctor witheld vital evidence - why isn't he being hauled before the GMC as well ffs?

I hope that this doesn't draw a line under this - for the sake of all those women falsely accused of having msbp. That's the real issue here which needs to be investigated, not spurious use of statistics, surely.

Report

Hausfrau · 15/07/2005 16:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

highlander · 15/07/2005 16:53

what really needs to be done is an overhaul of the courts' expert witness system. It should be peer-reviewed to stop something like this happening again. Clearly the prosecution highly regarded Prof Meadows' research and opinions, yet statistical and epidemiological academics found his work flawed - but their opinions weren't called on in court - even the by defence team (I think, correct me?).

Many, many paediatricians agreed with Prof Meadows' work. He is widely known in the field and extensively published. It's not like Shipman.

What he did was wrong - but why was he allowed to make a diagnosis without meeting the patient? Why did the courts or the Royal College of paediatricians not pick up on this - why did they sanction this way of working? And, let's face it, it's not just Meadows who worked in this way; his professional practice came under scrutiny as a result of a high-profile case. Paediatricians won't work this way again, and I do think, to a certain degree, Meadows has been made a scapegoat for a judical mode of practice that is very, very flawed.

Report

Janh · 15/07/2005 16:59

franke, he was - Dr Alan Williams - they looked at him first. He wasn't struck off though.

Report

franke · 15/07/2005 17:31

Thanks JanH. I have a real problem with this. As lunarsea says, looks like that well-known gentleman's club, the GMC have gone for damage limitation.

Report

Janh · 15/07/2005 17:37

I feel the same, franke - I was pleased to hear he'd been struck off, until Lunarsea said it means that no other cases against him will be heard

Report

Janh · 15/07/2005 18:15

Report

marthamoo · 15/07/2005 22:55

Dh just found this on the BBC. Result!

Did bunglie ever come back, btw ?

Report

gingerbear · 15/07/2005 23:00

He has ruined peoples' lives, and the old boys network have managed to rally round and get him off.

Report

Janh · 15/07/2005 23:02

Yes, moo! Her DS stayed with her last night and all day today

Hang on, will find it!

Report

Weatherwax · 15/07/2005 23:03

Bunglie has just got out of hospital and she has her son visiting her at the moment. I hope it is still going well.

Report

Janh · 15/07/2005 23:04

BUNGLIE'S SON IS COMING TO STAY!

Report

Janh · 15/07/2005 23:04

Do a search, moo, she's on lots of threads now they've let her out

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Email address

You've subscribed!

Janh · 15/07/2005 23:06

Oh no she isn't, they were all old ones

(Too much wine tonight!)

Report

marthamoo · 15/07/2005 23:12

Thanks so much for that link, I might have missed it otherwise. I think even if I hadn't partaken of the old vino tonight it would have made me cry.

Report

tatt · 16/07/2005 07:24

there are a number of statisticians who give evidence as expert witnesses. The defence could have called one of them to dispute Meadows evidence but statisticians wouldn't have the same credibility in court as a doctor. Look how long it took for the statistical evidence on smoking and lung cancer to be accepted! Still seems odd that they didn't try but maybe they were saving it for an appeal.

As for other cases being heard - the GMC can't do any more to him after he's been struck off. They are not concerned with the feelings of individual families but with preventing further danger to the public. If he won the appeal and wasn't struck off then they could be heard. Being struck off for anything other than drink, drugs or having sex with the patients is pretty rare - it is a big punishment for him.