Should I say, or should I no?

[Iambovvered]

I work in a school and have a child in my class with mild behavioural difficulties. Another member of staff in the same class is married to a doctor. This morning we were discussing some strategies for helping this particular child and my colleague mentioned that her dh had seen this child in his professional capacity and had diagnosed that she had no particular condition or syndrome which would explain her behaviour. He put it down to early childhood development/parenting problems.

I was shocked that a) he would discuss this with his wife and b) she discussed this child with him and c) she told me about it.

This is a breach of confidence on many levels and I'm not sure what to do about it. Really I think I should report it to the HT but the consequences could be quite severe for her and her dh. I haven't told anyone and could keep it to myself, although I'm not entirely happy about it.

Do you think it would be ok to say nothing?

If I was that child's parents I would be fuming. Report it.

I would leave it - and prove that you at least can keep quiet when told something confidential

I bet she is kicking herself for opening her mount and you will just be making lots of people unhappy and causing all sorts of trouble and distress if you take this any further.

mount?! meant mouth, of course!

I don't see that there's much to be gained by reporting it. The fault lies mainly with the GP husband - but once she had the information, sharing it with you as a co-professional with an interest in/duty of care towards the child is understandable.

I wouldn't say anything. What harm is honestly going to come from you knowing that? It'd be different if he was telling you that she DID have something.

RepublicofDreams I share your concern as a parent that a health professional is disclosing condfidential information to his wife.

However, Hassledge may have a point that sharing such information between professionals in the interests of the child is perhaps mitigating.

I will sleep on it I think. Thankyou for the responses.

I thought GPs weren't able to diagnose Aspergers and Dyspraxia?

But I would most certainly ignore it. And put it down to a bad day on his part/her part.

Surely your 3 professionals all trying to help the child and therefore to my mind I cannot see any harm.
Outside the letter of the rules, but surely not the spirit.

You're I do know the difference. My phone doesn't.

But I certainly wouldn't believe the gossip, and believe that the child doesn't have any SN

He may or may not. Her husband thinking he doesn't, doesn't mean he doesn't.

Like the others said a GP is def not qualified to dx ASD or ADHD or any other childhood development problems.

This is not a case of sharing info between professionals. Doctors don't talk to teachers like this.

And it does not sound like sharing gossip like this is going to help the child at all.

To me it sounds like the teacher wants to blame the parents and absolve themselves. But then maybe I'm just paranoid.

Okay it has shown your colleague is unprofessional in discussing the child with her husband, not a good doctor's wife in discussing what he said with you. Also he is unprofessional as as a GP he can't diagnose these kind of conditions, it would have to go to a specialist Paediatrician.
I would continue to push for proper diagnosis/help for the child.

Thank you so much. I feel better about keeping this to myself now.

I should have made it clear that her dh is not a GP but works as a hospital doctor. I am not sure if he is a paediatrician but I think it is likely. The child was referred to him for assessment.

However, the parents of the child have not informed the school as yet, as far as I know, either of the referral or the diagnosis. I knew nothing about it until my colleague mentioned it and at the time I didn't question her further because a) I was a bit shocked and b) it is not the correct way to discuss such matters (ie gossip).

I do know that the parents had a meeting in school with the educational psychologist who said that they would support a referral so that may be where it has come from.

IndigoBell I was really posting more about the fact that the dr. and his wife were discussing confidential patient information. And that my colleague discussed confidential information about a child with her husband, rather than the outcome of the assessment.

I will hear from the SEN manager in due course if there is any further information I need to know about this child.

I think the general consensus is that, yes it was unprofessional but it would ok for me to leave it at that.

I wonder whether the Dr. and wife went deliberately to discuss the child or whether he mentioned "a patient" and a specific thing meant that they were recognisable. It could be that he was saying about patient A, and she was saying that pupil B was similar when they realised they were the same person.

I remember asking one of dd's friend's parents if she'd had a good week, and she replied that she'd had a hectic week. This had happened and that had happened and something else had happened. No names, and all the things were fairly general issues that happen in her line of work.

As she mentioned the something else I twigged that it was my bil she was referring to because I knew he'd done that on that day (although I wouldn't have known she was involved). I told her, she apologised, but really if my mil hadn't given intimate detail then I wouldn't have recognised. It was the only time he's done that particular thing, and I see her perhaps 2-3 times a year, so really unlikely happening.

However it was really bad of the teacher to talk to you about the child, however she found out. I wouldn't report it though, as it would just end up as your word against hers.