Tw would a doctor really be allowed to carry on working

[User43333]

If they had admitted to making a number of sexual community to various different patients. I don’t want to disbelieve someone but I feel surely it would be unlikely. He apparently lied at first and then admitted it when a number of people came forward?

Admitted to who? Couldn't you check in the GMC register to see if they've had any proceedings against them? It sounds unlikely, but you'd need more details.

Admitted in an investigation about the concerns raised. I’ve looked and can’t see anything on the gmc about it.

Doctors aren't usually struck off forever. They can be reinstated.

I can’t see that he was ever struck off. Surely though if it’s true he’s a risk to people and shouldn’t really be allowed to work as a doctor.

I would have thought you would be able to find details of that on the GMC website?

No these nothing on there apart from warnings they have about a different situation.

a number of sexual what? communications?

Is that supposed to read 'sexual comments' if so then maybe
Sexual touching I think would be a no

Usually a Dr would be suspended from work whilst the complaints were investigated by the Trust in the first instance (GMC later if Trust upholds the complaints) but as an alternative possibly they could be put in a non patient contact role or have conditions on their work like not to see female patients or to be supervised/ chaperoned.

Until the investigation has happened then it can't be assumed the complaints are true and not malicious. However patient safety comes first so some action would be taken but not always suspension.

Getting struck off is nearly always forever. You can apply to come back but it almost never happens

Yes sorry I meant comments. As far as I’m aware he has no such restrictions.

Your post is too vague to really know what you're asking here.

Do you mean that he was suspended pending an investigation and is now back working?

However getting struck off is a rare sanction and possibly a Dr would not be struck off for that if they admitted it, apologised, demonstrated remorse, did retraining courses and accepted conditions and monitoring. It's quite common to get suspended for a year rather than struck off altogether.

How do you know him?
Are you looking on the GMC website to find information specific to him or to find their policy on sexual comments?

There might be an ongoing GMC investigation. They won't publish anything on their website until it's concluded or the doctor has been given conditions to abide by until it's concluded.

Is this your friend's psychiatrist?

If you look the Dr up on the GMC register you can see any upheld sanctions ie warnings, suspensions or conditions

If a GMC investigation is ongoing there will be interim conditions until it concludes (which can take years)

Look at medical practitioner tribunal hearings here

www.mpts-uk.org/

The person reported it the manager. He apparently denied it. He then admitted it when more people came forward and said he had apparently made similar comments to them. I looked him up via his gmc number.

If he really admitted making sexually motivated comments then that would be a clear GMC misconduct matter and he would likely lose his job and get GMC sanctions that would make it very hard to get another one.
For that reason I very much doubt he admitted the comments even if he did make them as that would be a career ending move.

I suspect there's another side to the story and that what he has 'admitted to' will be some kind of misunderstanding/ communication issue. He may have then been made to apologise and repent of his ways and be allowed to work again possibly with conditions or retraining.

However getting struck off is a rare sanction and possibly a Dr would not be struck off for that if they admitted it, apologised, demonstrated remorse, did retraining courses and accepted conditions and monitoring. It's quite common to get suspended for a year rather than struck off altogether

Ime once you’re in med school it’s pretty hard to get yourself struck off. I knew someone who had a drug habit so bad they were stealing from their placements- got a slap on the wrist and made to resit the year (they’d failed it anyway due to all the drugs..)

Usually being struck off would mean criminal activity - and then the review would be only after conviction.

So if this Dr has not been formally convicted of sexual assault - and therefore wouldn’t pass a DBS anyway, it’ll be internal sanctions which likely involves retraining/probation etc.

You couldn’t be struck off in medical school Micah because you aren’t a doctor.

It's not quite as bad as that. People do get struck off for conduct that is not criminal but generally only if they lie about it, deny it and don't make any effort to change.

Drug addiction is seen as a health issue rather than a conduct issue so if you are detoxed and in a rehab programme often you are allowed back.

If this was sexual touching rather than comments I'd expect suspension pending investigation and the Dr definitely to get struck off if it was upheld but with comments it can be harder to prove that the intent was definitely sexual and not a misguided compliment.

I'm not saying I agree with this BTW. I am a Dr and I have been sexually assaulted by a Dr. I think the GMC are too white and make and too lenient on perves but that is how it is. You are more likely to get struck off for lying about a qualification or something like that as that is easily provable.

You couldn’t be struck off in medical school Micah because you aren’t a doctor

You can lose you med school place though, which is essentially the same result- you can’t ever practice as a doctor.

So sorry CovoidOfAllHumanity about what you went though. I’m not saying I believe anyone either way but I was just curious why he was still working if he behaves in such a manner