Helen Webberley - hearing continues

[ItsLateHumpty]

See the original thread here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4288795-Helen-Webberley?

And now Helen Webberley is back in court as the GMC seeks to extend her suspension until August 2022

Gender GP thread starts here:

twitter.com/GenderGP/status/1466049063099510790

GenderGP @ GenderGP
We're covering the hearing re Dr Webberley. There has been a failure of the GMC to disclose the full bundle, counsel for the GMC is explaining this is due to page limits put on submissions.

GMC Counsel is requesting an extension of the suspension for a period of 8 months. Dr Helen's counsel asks why the case won't finish for a year. GMC Counsel says that question is irrelevant to today's hearing.
12:48 AM · Dec 2, 2021·Twitter Web App

And Helens own Twitter here:

twitter.com/MyWebDoctorUK/status/1465727253392805893

Dr Helen Webberley 🏳️‍⚧️🧜‍♀️🏳️‍⚧️ @ MyWebDoctorUK
I have been unable to work as a doctor since May 2017 because of the GMC investigation into my work. The original restrictions were in place for 18 months and that has been extended many times to allow for delays and processes.
3:29 AM · Dec 1, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

I'm confused about what the threshold is for criminal charges for this pair. If a medic is found to be lacking in adhering to informed consent, keeping robust notes or doing a thorough assessment then they are inevitably doing harm to children (in these cases).

I'd like to see them pursued in the civil courts and am hoping there is enough in the judgement today to see this woman be held to account.

I can dream, I guess.

Also the risk that she poses is not easy to remediate because it is attitudinal. There isn't a course she can go on to learn about the importance of being registered as a health care prescriber. At this point in time she still isn't certain how she would act if put in the same situation. She says that "Hypothetically, if I was - I’d be faced with exactly the same situation. It’s horrible. Do I save myself or risk the care to pts. I’d like to hope. I’d never put myself in that situation."

She also says in relation to her criminal conviction...

"I don’t think I’ve said he didn’t take it into account. He said in terms did I break the law yes - definitely. But reasons why I did it, this wasn't a charlatan, I was helping pts. Pts would have come to harm because of lack of service elsewhere."

She doesn't perceive that what she did put patients at risk. In fact she thinks the opposite, that she would have put patients at risk from stopping. She just doesn't get it. I'm not sure how the committee could look at this and consider that she is safe to be working with patients.

thanks for updates.

HW - This pt cohort have a very high rate of self harm and suicide. I thought I could help and can’t. Real risk of harm. I’ve seen and experience suicide on this pt group - I have to give big consideration to.

There has been at least one suicide of a patient of the Webberleys. A female patient who had been prescribed testosterone (not sure if HW or MW was the prescribing doctor).

MW, I think.

Tribunal are considering sanctions and will return by last week of June.

'The panel will now withdraw to consider whether HW fitness to practice is impaired. Which will take some time. If we have reached a decision at the end of next week we will let you have it; otherwise it will be the last week of June'

threadreaderapp.com/thread/1534809749828603904.html

Helen Webberley hearing has been continuing today. The committee have found misconduct and current impairment and are now hearing submissions on sanction.

twitter.com/tribunaltweets/status/1541700082717925377

Whatever happens she’ll lose her licence in the end, because she doesn’t accept that she has to practise in line with medical and legal norms.

The GMC have asked for a suspension (presumably with a review)...

@ tribunaltweets...
SJ: GMC submission is that minimum sanction is suspension. That avoidance of regulation (the conviction) is a risk of future risks to patient safety and public confidence. GMC is submitting that tribunal should impose a suspension.

HW's defence are submitting that public interest would be damaged by a sanction of suspension because then HW wouldn't be able to treat patients with her "vanguard approach [...] saving the lives of many patients."

Decision on sanction expected on 30th June.

There is a vanguard alright, Helen. But, it’s coming towards you.

There’s an item about the misconduct findings on the Wales news page on bbc co uk

I get the feeling that this committee will find a way to allow HW to return to practise.

“The tribunal said it was satisfied that Dr Webberley would implement changes if she returned to practice.”

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61970235.amp

Thanks for the link.

It also says the tribunal did not consider she had developed sufficient understanding as to i ) the significance of how she had failed 11 year old patient C by not discussing the risks to fertility before prescribing puberty blockers and as to ii) how she can be sure this will not be repeated.

That’s pretty bad, surely?

That’s pretty bad, surely?

Sounds pretty bad doesn’t it? Especially since she’s had around 5 years to think about it.

I just get the impression that this committee are really quite sympathetic to HW.

The committee's determination on misconduct and impairment can be found here...

www.dropbox.com/s/vn772ae59r9ubmv/Dr%20Helen%20WEBBERLEY%20%283657058%29%20DETERMINATION%20ON%20IMPAIRMENT%20–%2028_06_2022%20Impairment%20-%20FINAL%20%281%29.pdf?dl=0

Determination on sanction is expected imminently according to TT.

Pointless, two month suspension.

Considering she hasn't managed to gain insight in five years I wonder how the committee think she will manage in two months!

What? Two months?

Complete failure to stop this woman from doing harm.

Yup two months. And then she'll go back to saving lives.
I wonder if she'll manage to get insurance though. Bit of gamble!

Also if there is a review at the end of the two months she might have trouble convincing that panel that she has gained insight in such a short period.

She won’t gain any insight, she has a Messiah complex.