The Greenhouse

Neil Marshall's Greenhouse

One of the quotes that causes me endless amusement is one made by Finlay Scott, CEO of the General Medical Council. It went something like this

"Transparency was like a greenhouse - you could look in but not enter the room"

I really love this quote because it is such an honest description of the General Medical Council. Finlay Scott does have a distinct talent for quotes of this kind. It makes us all sit up and think - hey, he is right! Finaly Scott left the GMC at the end of September 2009 hence I felt I should quote the best moment he had at the GMC.

This week I found out that the GMC is concerned that my long term plan is their downfall.

Neil Marshall of me emailed me as follows

"I also have it on record that your stated aim is to 'bring down the GMC'

I responded politely and told Neil that the GMC quite happily does this on its own. Secondly, it is my view that if we can't get into the greenhouse then we need to bring the contents of said greenhouse into the public domain.

Marshall has made his concerns about my writings known to me many times over the last year. Nevertheless, it is clear that the GMC finds my ability to dissipate information, case law and rules to other people, a risk to their well honed cosmetic reputation. I don't have to challenge the GMC or campaign against it, every one else does that quite happily.

I quite like my conversations with Neil Marshall. It gives me insight into the mindset of the GMC and their overt dislike for me. Neil though is often much like a post menopausal man, who cannot tolerate being outwitted and challenged intellectually. He has made about 4 threats to block my emails to the GMC each time he is outargued. I requested that they carry it out then tell me which of my 26 email addresses they plan to block.

Neil does get himself in a real tizz. I have no idea why. Perhaps it is my persistence to extract information out of the GMC that irritates him.

Recently, the GMC blocked communications with a complainant. I was then asked to forward their correspondence onto the GMC. The complainant wanted a decision to the complaint they had made. In the last 2 years, no final decision had been issued. I did forward the email and this was the GMC's response from Neil Marshall.

"I have this in mind when I advise you that if you persist in forwarding e-mails from Mrs X, we will be forced to consider blocking such communications from you"

Not quite sure what Neil expects really. I might try training pigeons next to deliver my mail.

Neil Marshall and I go back many years. Back in the year 2000, he made a number of comments about the establishment appearing to silence whistleblowers.

Anyway, I have no idea why my polite emails to Neil are now construed as efforts to bring down the GMC. Perhaps it is all in the mind of Neil who appears to make endless notes about my motives :).

Of course, I don't have malevolent intentions against the GMC. The GMC though have had malevolent intentions towards me but this is understandable. It cannot be easy to be challenged publicly for the first time in 100 years and to have all your dirty laundry hanging out for the public to access. The shock is understandable, we are all shocked really.

I was certainly shocked to see that the GMC had screened out a Dr Barton complaint in the year 2002 and then found her guilty of SPM in 2009 [ on the same facts].