Rentaghost. Fitness to Practise Directorate. GMC TowersThe General Medical Council finally dug out a lengthy email written to me in 2004 prior to the court hearing.
This was a amusing email because it had Blake Dobson who is head honcho and actually a terribly nice guy, apologising on behalf of the Fitness to Practise Directorate GMC Towers. Apologies like these are rare and therefore should be framed. This is of course the second apology from GMC Towers.
The background of the issue concerns a number of ratty, intemperate letters I had written to them severely criticising the GMC in the year 2000. The sentiments would be later reflected in the Dame Janet Smith Shipman Inquiry. Of course, Dame Janet Smith would never have been considered to be potentially mentally ill because she has all the airs and graces of a high class English socialite. I considered the attack on my letters to be a direct attack on my identity as a British Asian. The GMC have no insight into this of course.
These ratty letters were construed as "potential mental illness". The problem with assessing the letters of someone is that you often get it wrong. It becomes even more embarrassing for them when someone like me demands to know why mentally ill doctors are not subjected to discreet inquiries, and their faces redden further when you parade a letter from the Royal College of Psychiatrists . Yes, I obtained the letter from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and wafted it in front of the GMC and I keep wafting it has time floats on.
Of course, no one thinks the great and good Royal College of Psychiatrists would have ever written such a letter IF they knew it was going to be used for the purposes of kicking the GMC up the arse in the best possibly way. Afterall, this is the Royal College of Psychiatrists who boasts about their Anti Stigma Campaign but allows their members to stigmatise doctors at the GMC. Four years on and the GMC are still shoving doctors through psychiatric assessments for ratty emails and letters. Forget ethnic diversity, forget the fact that most of the ethnic minority doctors are severely pissed off with the manner in which they are treated by GMC Towers.
I am of course not the first person to have been subjected to this sort of totalitarian regime behaviour. I speak of this four years later because it is still shocking to me that the GMC would resort to such levels of behaviour and actually have no insight into their own irrationality. Of course, as the years have gone by, I have discovered that the GMC will effectively stoop to any level depending on how much they dislike the doctor.
After getting it wrong, you often have to hide under the table while the courts take a rolled up newspaper and repeatedly hits you. This is what happened to the GMC in 2004. The GMC took a hard battering, probably due to the arguments I had created in advance. I suspect it was my way of seeking some equality. At the previous hearing the GMC had crowed that I did not need legal representation, that I could not afford legal representation and that I had a hopeless case. Of course, they were wrong but they are always wrong, they will always be wrong.
Their legal representative Jane Collier had discovered to her horror that Blake Dobson had apologised to me. We [ my legal representatives] had actually decided at the time not to show the courts this apology to the courts. Collier was not to know this and ran into court, flapping the copies of emails and proclaiming "That is Mr Dobson's personal opinion with hindsight but it does not affect our case". She went onto make it clear that this email was not an apology from her client but JUST a personal opinion of Blake Dobson. And so, they dug themselves deeper into a legal hole because the judge would not have even known about the apology had it not been for their representatives disclosing the email. So not only had they written some disastrous offensive memos, they admitted to apologising for them as well. This did not do the GMC's case much good. Indeed, it was one of the reasons why they spectacularly failed in court.
It is very true the through the entire court shenanigans, I sat there calmly reading my Hello magazine and wondered why a regulatory body was so incompetent and obtuse. Of course, if I had known that as a medical student, I would have gone to Australia. Anyhow, I was here and in the court doodling on a small piece of paper. We had all coined the term " windybag" for the Jane Collier because of the amount of hot air that floated in court. Robert Jay QC munched on his chocolates and exclaimed " She does lack lustre". Of course, she did, that is why the GMC hired her. Actually, credit to Jane Collier, she is actually by Lord Lester's own admission a nice lady and a very good barrister. It is simply that she had us as her opposition - yes, it was the GMC Slayers - four of us accompanied by a large number of women's magazines, huge levels of chocolates who were a group of grubby commoners who sat back and mocked the afflicted at every chance we got. Of course, we were not supposed to win because commoners apparently don't win - but we had a QC, we had chocolate, we had a brain and on that day we were faster than Jane Collier. The GMC just have to accept that money can't buy them public love :) or court wins.
"Dobbin"
Blake Dobson is affectionately known as Dobbin to us doctors. For all those who don't know who Dobbin is, he is the panto mine horse in the children's TV Programme that I used to watch called Rentaghost. Dobbin is a rather cute character who trots around being nice. Blake did me and him a favour by apologising. It kind of took the edge off my anger - only slightly though. I like Blake though and I think he is fair to doctors in general. At present, I am attempting to negotiate the creation of a protocol for the assessment of "doctors writings". I doubt he will bite at this effort to progress the GMC forward but you never know.
While I sat in that court room, many ideas flitted across my mind. Dobbin was of course the tame nicer guy in contrast with Grotbags, the witch formally known as Sarah Bedwell. Many doctors who have gone down the GMC route have come across this woman. Only 3 days ago, I noted that she was sent the GMC whistleblowing protocol some years ago - this was a document sported in the Shipman Inquiry. Clearly, she failed to read it when assessing my case. Then Fedwell fails to read most things probably because she is too busy with her fingers in the cookie pot.
Sarah Bedwell Before The Makeover
Hanging on Tightly to Finlay Scott,
the white Scottish Terrier
After the Makeover
There was a startling similarity between Grotbags and Sarah Bedwell at the GMC. At least the cardies were similar anyway. Those those who don't know, Bedwell is known affectionately known as Fedwell due to the typographical error we must all accidentally make while writing about her. She is famed for her vintage old style Cardies. Personally, I find the startling similarity between her and Linda Blair disturbing. The Devil may wear Prada but Fedwell definitely wears BHS.
For the record, there is no exorcism recipe for GMC Towers.
-----Original Message----- From:
Blake Dobson (0161 923 6462)
Sent: 30 Apr 2004 12:18
To: 'Rita Pal' Cc: Neil Marshall (020 7915 3540); Neil McCabe (0161 923 6421) Subject:
RE: Matters
Blake Dobson"Whilst I appreciate that you disagree strongly with the wording of the memo from Mr Lynn to the health screener it does not in my opinion suggest any maliciousness on the part of the GMC, or its' apology. Clearly however if you are distressed by the content of a memo then I apologise on behalf of the Fitness to Practise Directorate"
This was a amusing email because it had Blake Dobson who is head honcho and actually a terribly nice guy, apologising on behalf of the Fitness to Practise Directorate GMC Towers. Apologies like these are rare and therefore should be framed. This is of course the second apology from GMC Towers.
The background of the issue concerns a number of ratty, intemperate letters I had written to them severely criticising the GMC in the year 2000. The sentiments would be later reflected in the Dame Janet Smith Shipman Inquiry. Of course, Dame Janet Smith would never have been considered to be potentially mentally ill because she has all the airs and graces of a high class English socialite. I considered the attack on my letters to be a direct attack on my identity as a British Asian. The GMC have no insight into this of course.
These ratty letters were construed as "potential mental illness". The problem with assessing the letters of someone is that you often get it wrong. It becomes even more embarrassing for them when someone like me demands to know why mentally ill doctors are not subjected to discreet inquiries, and their faces redden further when you parade a letter from the Royal College of Psychiatrists . Yes, I obtained the letter from the Royal College of Psychiatrists and wafted it in front of the GMC and I keep wafting it has time floats on.
Of course, no one thinks the great and good Royal College of Psychiatrists would have ever written such a letter IF they knew it was going to be used for the purposes of kicking the GMC up the arse in the best possibly way. Afterall, this is the Royal College of Psychiatrists who boasts about their Anti Stigma Campaign but allows their members to stigmatise doctors at the GMC. Four years on and the GMC are still shoving doctors through psychiatric assessments for ratty emails and letters. Forget ethnic diversity, forget the fact that most of the ethnic minority doctors are severely pissed off with the manner in which they are treated by GMC Towers.
I am of course not the first person to have been subjected to this sort of totalitarian regime behaviour. I speak of this four years later because it is still shocking to me that the GMC would resort to such levels of behaviour and actually have no insight into their own irrationality. Of course, as the years have gone by, I have discovered that the GMC will effectively stoop to any level depending on how much they dislike the doctor.
After getting it wrong, you often have to hide under the table while the courts take a rolled up newspaper and repeatedly hits you. This is what happened to the GMC in 2004. The GMC took a hard battering, probably due to the arguments I had created in advance. I suspect it was my way of seeking some equality. At the previous hearing the GMC had crowed that I did not need legal representation, that I could not afford legal representation and that I had a hopeless case. Of course, they were wrong but they are always wrong, they will always be wrong.
Their legal representative Jane Collier had discovered to her horror that Blake Dobson had apologised to me. We [ my legal representatives] had actually decided at the time not to show the courts this apology to the courts. Collier was not to know this and ran into court, flapping the copies of emails and proclaiming "That is Mr Dobson's personal opinion with hindsight but it does not affect our case". She went onto make it clear that this email was not an apology from her client but JUST a personal opinion of Blake Dobson. And so, they dug themselves deeper into a legal hole because the judge would not have even known about the apology had it not been for their representatives disclosing the email. So not only had they written some disastrous offensive memos, they admitted to apologising for them as well. This did not do the GMC's case much good. Indeed, it was one of the reasons why they spectacularly failed in court.
It is very true the through the entire court shenanigans, I sat there calmly reading my Hello magazine and wondered why a regulatory body was so incompetent and obtuse. Of course, if I had known that as a medical student, I would have gone to Australia. Anyhow, I was here and in the court doodling on a small piece of paper. We had all coined the term " windybag" for the Jane Collier because of the amount of hot air that floated in court. Robert Jay QC munched on his chocolates and exclaimed " She does lack lustre". Of course, she did, that is why the GMC hired her. Actually, credit to Jane Collier, she is actually by Lord Lester's own admission a nice lady and a very good barrister. It is simply that she had us as her opposition - yes, it was the GMC Slayers - four of us accompanied by a large number of women's magazines, huge levels of chocolates who were a group of grubby commoners who sat back and mocked the afflicted at every chance we got. Of course, we were not supposed to win because commoners apparently don't win - but we had a QC, we had chocolate, we had a brain and on that day we were faster than Jane Collier. The GMC just have to accept that money can't buy them public love :) or court wins.
"Dobbin" Blake Dobson is affectionately known as Dobbin to us doctors. For all those who don't know who Dobbin is, he is the panto mine horse in the children's TV Programme that I used to watch called Rentaghost. Dobbin is a rather cute character who trots around being nice. Blake did me and him a favour by apologising. It kind of took the edge off my anger - only slightly though. I like Blake though and I think he is fair to doctors in general. At present, I am attempting to negotiate the creation of a protocol for the assessment of "doctors writings". I doubt he will bite at this effort to progress the GMC forward but you never know.
While I sat in that court room, many ideas flitted across my mind. Dobbin was of course the tame nicer guy in contrast with Grotbags, the witch formally known as Sarah Bedwell. Many doctors who have gone down the GMC route have come across this woman. Only 3 days ago, I noted that she was sent the GMC whistleblowing protocol some years ago - this was a document sported in the Shipman Inquiry. Clearly, she failed to read it when assessing my case. Then Fedwell fails to read most things probably because she is too busy with her fingers in the cookie pot.
Sarah Bedwell Before The MakeoverHanging on Tightly to Finlay Scott,
the white Scottish Terrier
After the Makeover There was a startling similarity between Grotbags and Sarah Bedwell at the GMC. At least the cardies were similar anyway. Those those who don't know, Bedwell is known affectionately known as Fedwell due to the typographical error we must all accidentally make while writing about her. She is famed for her vintage old style Cardies. Personally, I find the startling similarity between her and Linda Blair disturbing. The Devil may wear Prada but Fedwell definitely wears BHS.
For the record, there is no exorcism recipe for GMC Towers.
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