Niall Dickson "Our starting position is that we have nothing to hide and want to be as open and transparent as possible"

"Transparency was like a greenhouse - you could look in but not enter the room"
Finlay Scott GMC Ex CEO

Niall Dickson wrote a missive today trying his best to sidle up to the Gosport Campaigners. It is rather amusing to watch the entire issue unfold. A Gosport Campaigner today told the GMC

"Do any of you know what you are doing"?

Now that is a good question because I have spent quite a number of years asking that question.

Bad Medicine is of the view that the GMC could not investigate a cornflake packet. That is of course true. I find Niall's stance fascinating because of their recent efforts to conceal the links between a GMC panelist and Scientology. The GMC's efforts to conceal documents related to Scientology was embarrassingly overturned by the Information Commissioner Tribunal. In short, the GMC lost. It is laughable that a body with a bottomless pit of subscription money was unable to win against a litigant in person.

To remind Niall of his team's efforts at concealing issues, we don't have to go far. We simply have to observe the GMC's antics when I requested the entire 2001 Report relating to Ward 87. I am entitled to the report because I was the whistleblower. Anyhow, according to the GMC, I am not allowed a full copy.

This game is called pass the parcel. The GMC were sent the unredacted copy. The GMC's actions here are interesting. This is Toni Smerdon's brainchild of course. Smerdon is one of the GMC's half witted lawyers. She assumes she is clever but we all know better.

Anyhow, Niall continues to make a spectacular fool of himself. That is nothing new because it is very very difficult to defend the actions of a body who last year allowed a doctor to slip the net of the conduct proceedings. They had not noticed that he was administratively erased. Niall is currently suffering from foot in mouth syndrome. He may seek solace in the Oxford Leadership Prize where he sits as judge.

"The impetus for it came from leaders attending the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme, who were interested to know what new ideas were emerging amongst a cadre of younger future leaders"."For anyone wanting to put their energy and leadership experience to work in society, this programme offers both inspiration and practical first steps. Delivered in partnership with Common Purpose, the programme provides an opportunity to rethink individual values and explore the risks and challenges of non-executive roles through the insight of our experienced advisors and in the company of a supportive peer group".

Anyhow, back to the GMC's antics in the case of Ward 87. This game was fun. I played it for a while then got bored. They currently have the parcel and I have become the mocking bird.

Date	From	To	Comment
24/04/2005	Dr Pal	Steven Hardy	Email requesting the GMC's reasons for withholding Professor Griffiths' final submissions before passing them to the Case Examiners
09/06/2005	Jackie Smith	Dr Pal	Email confirming that the GMC is requesting a copy of the Creamer Report from the Trust
24/07/2005	Dr Pal	Jackie Smith	Email requesting a delay in her submissions until Dr Pal has access to the Creamer Report as she wishes to rely upon it and both the Trust and the DoH have refused her access
09/09/2005	Dr Pal	Jackie Smith	Email acknowledging the GMC's intention to obtain a copy of the Creamer Report from the Trust and speculating that the Trust would resist the request
17/10/2005	Dr Pat Chipping	Jackie Smith	Letter enclosing unredacted report from the Trust, confirming that a redacted version has been sent to Dr Pal, and stressing that the unredacted copy is for the sole use of the GMC and is not to be released to Dr Pal.
07/11/2005	Toni Smerdon	Dr Pat Chipping	Letter acknowledging reciept of unredacted report with letter dated 17th Oct 2005 and requesting a copy of the redacted version supplied to Dr Pal. ALREADY DETERMINED that GMC would use redacted version
09/11/2005	Jackie Smith	Dr Pal	Email confirming that the GMC now has an unredacted copy of the Creamer Report, and that it was obtained from the Trust on the understanding that it would not be disclosed to Dr Pal
11/11/2005	Ro Vaughn	Toni Smerdon	Letter from Trust Human Resources enclosing redacted version of the Creamer Report as supplied to Dr Pal
28/11/2005	Toni Smerdon	Dr Pal	Letter confirming that the GMC has copies of both redacted and unredacted copies of the Creamer Report
20/12/2005	Dr Pal	Toni Smerdon	Email querying the GMC's legal grounds for withholding the unredacted copy of the Creamer Report (letter 28 Nov 2005), confirming that she has made an FOI request for the document from the GMC
10/01/2006	Toni Smerdon	Dr Pal	Letter confirming that the GMC had agreed not to disclose the unredacted Creamer Report to Dr Pal, not a GMC document, will not correspond further on this matter
20/01/2006	Dr Pal	Jackie Smith	Email requesting update on the Griffiths matter, enclosing several documents as adenda to complaint and stating Dr Pal is still awaiting an unredacted copy of the Creamer Report from the Trust. Needed as Professor Griffiths has had access to it, which is unfair.
31/01/2006	Dr Pal	Jackie Smith and Toni Smerdon	Email requesting date at which the Trust and the GMC agreed not to disclose the unredacted report to Dr Pal
06/02/2006	Toni Smerdon	Dr Pal	Email and letter asserting that the Trust and GMC did not come an agreement not to disclose the unredacted Creamer Report to Dr Pal (contradicts other letters), or "brokered a deal" in any way. Confirms redacted report was sent to Prof Griffiths 22 Dec 2005. Denies GMC have attempted to conceal any documents from Dr Pal
08/02/2006	Helen Hardy	Dr Pat Chipping	Letter confirming that the GMC did not intend to use the unredacted report, and were returning it with the letter
13/02/2006	Dr Pat Chipping	Toni Smerdon	Letter confirming receipt of the unredacted version of the Creamer Report, returned to the Trust by Ms Smerdon by letter 8th Feb. Trust have filed the report
14/02/2006	Prity Vaja	Dr Pal	Letter claiming Griffiths did not see the Creamer Report until 2005, noting Dr Pal has a redacted copy of the report from the Trust, claiming both she and Dr Pal are using a redacted copy provided by the GMC
17/02/2006	Prity Vaja	Helen Hardy	Letter claiming Griffiths did not see the Creamer until it was "disclosed to us by the Trust at the end of last year (2005)"
27/02/2006	Dr Pal	Jackie Smith	Email requesting a copy of the Creamer Report identical to that provided to the Dept of Health (for Professor Griffiths)
28/02/2006	Helen Hardy	Dr Pal	Letter confirming the GMC does not have the correspondence referred to in Appendix 4 of the Creamer Report
28/02/2006	Prity Vaja	Dr Pal	Letter confirming that the GMC have returned the unredacted version of the Creamer Report to the Trust, and, because they have done so, she has done the same. Ergo, she has had sight of the unredacted copy of the Creamer Report
01/03/2006	Toni Smerdon	Dr Pal	Letter confirming that the GMC does not know what version of the Creamer Report is available to Prof Griffiths, and that the unredacted version has been sent back to the Trust.
10/03/2006	Dr Pal	Toni Smerdon	Email requesting confirmation that the unredacted Creamer Report has been returned to the Trust, and whether a copy has been retained as previously requested
13/03/2006	Dr Pal	Toni Smerdon	Email querying the dates on which the GMC received redacted and unredacted copies of the Creamer report and what happened to them
13/03/2006	Prity Vaja	Dr Pal	Email confirming that Ms Vaja received a copy of the unredacted Creamer Report from the GMC, NOT from the Trust or the Department of Health, and that the decision to return the report to the Trust was hers and not at the GMC's request
16/03/2006	Dr Pal	Jackie Smith	Email requesting JS confirm the accuracy of attached document (copy of letter from Helen Hardy / Toni Smerdon to Dr Pal
16/03/2006	Helen Hardy	Dr Pal	Letter and Email confirming that the unredacted copy of the Creamer Report was obtained from the Trust 26 Oct 2005 and returned it to them 8 Feb 2006 without keeping a copy.
30/04/2007	Juliet Oliver	Dr Pal	Letter confirming that the Trust and DoH together refused permission for Dr Pal to have access to the unredacted Creamer Report, claiming Data Protection and Professional Legal Privilege, and stating that the unredacted copy of the report was returned to "the Department" (DoH?) as it was their only unredacted copy. Contradicts previous statements that it was returned to the Trust.