PETITION AGAINST THE DECISION OF THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL UK

To:  Public

Mr Robert Phipps, Consultant Surgeon previously employed by Bradford Royal Infirmary UK raised concerns regarding the standard of cancer treatment at the hospital. He was employed there between the year 1998 and 2000. He is a 49 year old New Zealand surgeon currently fighting to save his career and livelihood. He presented a dossier of 168 patients to his employers, the Royal College of Surgeons and the President of the General Medical Council. Following these concerns the hospital accused him of errors on his CV. It is interesting to note that evidence presented at the General Medical Council show the hospital did not hire him due to his CV. He was headhunted due to his experience. The concerns came to light only after he had raised concerns about the standard of cancer care and patient neglect two years after he had been employed. He was marched off the hospital site and vital evidence destroyed at the hospital.

Recently, the Bradford Royal Infirmary has been plagued with questions regarding their finances by the Health Select Committee in London for a 4 million pound deficit.

Despite numerous letters to the Royal College of Surgeons and the President of the GMC as well as the Department of Health, there is been no investigation into the concerns raised by Mr Robert Phipps to date. These letters have been ignored. The GMC's whistleblower policy does not seem to have been followed. Instead, these authorities have served to discredit Mr Phipps by stripping him of his specialist registration and also sending out an alert letter against him. Despite no patient ever making a complaint against Mr Robert Phipps, an alert letter was issued by the Department of Health. An alert letter is issued when " patients are placed at risk". Lord Lester has criticised the alert letters as a potential breach of human rights. The Trust raised the issues of supposed CV errors with the GMC and the Royal College of Surgeons. The Royal College of Surgeons has since been judicially reviewed by Mr Robert Phipps. He is awaiting a decision.

Instead of investigating Mr Phipps's concerns, the General Medical Council turned the investigation on him. Following a 38 day trial, the GMC suspended him for 1 year. He has already been off work for four years. The GMC then asked him to " keep his skills up to date". The GMC panel members failed to comprehend that a doctor with an alert letter against his name cannot work in the NHS or elsewhere and therefore cannot keep their skills up to date. By comparison, Mr Rowe surgeon who DNR's elderly gent Mr Robinson and Mr Andrew Hall FRCS who mistreated Ms Beryl Walters ( NHS Ombudsmans complaint upheld and severely critical of his operation) have not been suspended by the General Medical Council.

This is the third in a series of whistleblower cases that have come to the attention of the public. Dr Peter Wilmshurst who raised concerns about research fraud in the NHS was investigated by the GMC, Dr Rita Pal a junior doctor who raised concerns about a lack of support for junior doctors and substandard elderly care was investigated by the General Medical Council. The GMC in this case admitted to " discreet confidential enquiries" for two years without informing the doctor. Dr Rita Pal recently won a strike out application R Pal v GMC against the GMC a breach of human rights and defamation of character. Blake Dobson of the GMC recently apologised for the distress caused to Dr Rita Pal. The case can be accessed on www.generalmedicalcouncil.org.uk. The Witch Hunt is currently continuing for medical whistleblowers. Dr Rita Pal and Mr Robert Phipps were both refused representation by their respective defence unions, the MDU, the MPS and the MDDUS as well as the British Medical Association. Mr Peter Lynn and Ms Sarah Bedwell both sued in R Pal v GMC was also involved in the case involving Mr Phipps. Our conclusion is that the GMC's modus operandi is that all whistleblowers are investigated and their concerns shut down. Mr Peter Lynn specifically has been involved in other cases involving whistleblowers.

Mr Phipps is due to appeal the decision of the General Medical Council. He is also independently considering legal action against the General Medical Council and related authorities. The case continues.......


Articles on Mr Robert Phipps
http://society.guardian.co.uk/nhsperformance/story/0,8150,773691,00.html http://www.thisisbradford.co.uk/bradford__district/archive/2002/04/09/ship_news01.int.html
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=757323
http://www.surgeons.org/surgical_news/volume_1_no_7/articles/phipps.htm

Bradford Royal Infirmary.
David Jackson ( Chief Executive) and friend to Professor Liam Donaldson comments on patient neglect http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:QlpZAhCq-TwJ:www.thisisbradford.co.uk/bradford__district/bradford/news/watford148.html+Bradford+Royal+Infirmary+Patient+neglect&hl=en

Contact Details
nhsradical@yahoo.co.uk

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The PETITION AGAINST THE DECISION OF THE GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL UK Petition to Public was created by and written by J Maine (nhsradical@yahoo.co.uk).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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