I don't think I am but I'm willing to be corrected

[QueenOfCats]

If somebody knocked on your door at 9pm and said that someone was lying injured in the road a few houses down, would you say "sorry, I'm busy, call an ambulance" and close the door?

If you were a qualified doctor, would your answer be any different?

Shop her.

I can't believe people are defending this decision.

Of course she should have helped. At the very, very least she should have called an ambulance.

My god.

Waikiki, nurses should be in mufti when out of hospital premises, basic hygiene rules. As a nurse I am just as bound by my code of professional conduct to stop and offer assistance in the event of an accident or medical emergency within my ability to do so. I am a nurse, not only when at work, but at all times.

It is possible they could be sued, however that would only be successful if they were negligent. I wonder if their professional insurance or the GMC would cover it.

I'd report her too.

She obviously doesn't care who knows that she can't be bothered to fulfil her duty of care. It rings alarm bells to me.

Yes but why put yourself out , in your own time, when an ambulance is on its way. G.PS can do very little, even if they have their doctor's bag with them it's unlikely to have more than as stethoscope in it.

Brunocat, you're right, Have I Got News for You was probably starting and that is a much better prospect.

A GP would be pretty useful at stopping arterial bleeding, resuscitation, probably loads of other things. Lets hope you don't need help on the street as why should a Doctor put themselves out. Oh yes, the Hippocratic Oath and a professional code of conduct.

Blueberry, that's what I meant. They have to be part of a union in case of situations like this, which would cover the costs. Bruno, are you serious? If a family member of yours was lying in the street injured and shouting for help, you would be okay with the fact that a GP pretty much just went "meh, not my problem." and left them there?

As others have said, she is duty bound to offer assistance in a medical emergency, so she has broken her code of conduct.

Also, "in your own time" doesn't really come into play when you're a healthcare professional. She is a GP all of the time, not just when she steps into her practice in the morning.

Bruno Because a trained medical professional such as a GP would be in a far better position to decide if for example pressure needed to be applied to a wound, if they should not be moved, if they needed to be out in the recovery position, if it was a diabetic attack and non-medicinal help (ie a glass of juice) could help. Etc etc etc.
All decisions that most of us without medical knowledge would hesitate to make, even if the thought occurred to us.

The GP needs to justify her decision, she WBU.

Futterby, agree completely, if you don't want to have the responsibility of that job, be it paramedic, doctor, nurse etc which includes helping people out when you are off duty, don't go into it. For me it is part of the caring part of the role.

Exactly. It's not just part of her job role though, it's actually illegal and negligent for her to ignore it.

My dh is a GP, he is obligated to stop/help or he can be sued. I think all indemnity insurance in the uk covers Good Samaritan acts in the uk. My dh's is worldwide (except USA).

I didn't think Dr's were actually allowed to refuse to help?

Yanbu.

Some great replies here, thank you.

Monty - your post re the GMC guidelines, that's what I was told today.

Of course they can refuse to help - if they do not feel they are mentally or physically fit to cope with it... a long shift, no sleep, alcohol use, sleeping tablet use, need to eat, breast feeding a hungry baby -bathing a child or grandparent who can't be left - there are a million reasons that are just as important as leaving your house to help when someone has already rung an ambulance.

If possible she should have went out and helped.

There are lots of practical and emotion reasons she may not have wanted the hassle of getting involved... But none over ride that fact that ethically it is totally indefensible that a trained doctor refused to help someone who needed medical aid.

All the excuses cover up that some people would rather leave someone to die potentially, than help. Is that really the world you want to live in? What if you were the person lying on the ground injured? Would you feel it was ok for someone to walk by and not try and help?

I think the key phrase in the guidelines that could explain this is 'taking account of your competence'. If for whatever reason she did not feel competent to practise medicine at that point (because she had been drinking, because she had taken medicine that made her drowsy, or any other reason) then it is only right that she should refuse to do so because not doing that might endanger patient safety.

If, however, she was fully competent but refused to help, I think that's awful. There's no way to know, though.

I'd shop her - it could do the next RTA victim a service.

There's so little comeback against bad HCP that it seems senseless not to use the tiny measures that do exist.

Futterby's link specifically excludes doctors who've been drinking from the obligation to attend. Maybe she didn't like to admit to being pissed over the limit?

Good point.

This thread is so MN

So many possible reasons for her not helping that we can speculate on but never know we'll never know.

I vote for - Couldn't be arsed/had a really crap day and hates her job/mankind

that should have read:
"but we'll never know"