Steve Choong, Ex GMC Panellist, Ex Plab Examiner, Ex Medical Director - GMC's Maximum Impact

Choong's Men in Tights
Ryans Solicitors " Taking Money From the Rich"
Saving their damsel in distress "Dr Steve Choong"

Previously on Ward 87, I wrote about the GMC Investigation against Dr Steve Choong. Choong has not coped well with this investigation and he appears to be flapping like a wet chicken. He was last seen running around his handbag. I can't blame him really. All this sliming through the GMC investigation itself isn't doing him much good.

To remind ourselves of Choong's actions. I was fired from Worcestershire Mental Health Trust. following the onset of a GMC investigation. When they discovered that they had followed no procedure to effect that "Firing", Steve Choong and Monteiro decided to support the GMC's tale of woe in R v GMC Ex Parte Pal. They decided to fib and tell the world that I had resigned. To date, no doctor has been able to provide one piece of paperwork to support their elaborate tale of fiction.

The problem the GMC lawyers find themselves in at present - is relying on this fib and effectively being accused of perverting the course of justice. I haven't been to the police yet but there is always time for that :). Lets face it someone has to take the blame for this. At present, we have everyone blaming everyone else.

Choong has defaulted into the usual consultant position, instead of defending himself properly, he continues to tell the GMC what a wonderful person he is. He crows and fluffs his feathers and advertises himself as if he is a good little doctor. Of course, during his reign numerous patients hung themselves at Worcestershire Mental Health Trust. I wonder what those dead patients relatives would think about Steve Choong. I wonder if those relatives would look narrowly at Steve's ability to organise a safe mental health unit where people couldn't hang themselves so easily.

I had to place this material from Ryans solicitors online simply because a few juniors at Worcestershire insisted I put this up for all to observe. It is really Steve Choong's CV. Today, I received confirmation from Worcestershire Mental Health Trust that Dr Steve Choong is no longer Medical Director. That is of course excellent as everyone disliked him anyway. He was the small man in the big job that everyone mocked. These sentences are really amusing

"In September 2009, Dr Choong stepped down as Medical Director of the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership Trust. This was out of his own choice. Dr Choong wanted to concentrate on the clinical side of work and also to spend more time with his family"[ Ryans Solicitors]

So audience of junior doctors - please witness the downfall of a medical director by the use of some interesting tactics.

The material below details Dr Steve Choong's history. Those poor souls being examined by Dr Steve Choong should note his past. They should note the quality and standards set by their examiners. His past is of course that he was subject to a GMC Investigation between 2009-2010. During this time period he jumped off a number of positions to try and persuade the GMC that the investigation was now academic. Of course, Choong isn't quite as clever as he thinks he may be. He seeks to deny the time of day which is expected. I have placed this online to demonstrate the ways of most men of his position. There is a art form to creeping up to the GMC while causing a catastrophe.

What is interesting is that Worcestershire Mental Health Trust is overseen by West Midlands Strategic Health Authority - the very Authority I raised concerns about in relation to Ward 87 a decade ago. I always find these associations fascinating. I have always said that no whistleblower can ever work in peace without being harassed. This is a prime example of a Trust's response to the discovery of who I was. Of course, Choong sat back and wallowed around his own self importance while I was thrown at the GMC. Contrary to his squealing, he was intimately involved in the above. He knows it, we know it, his work colleagues know it - indeed the whole world knows it.

Anyhow, lets hear it for Ryans Solicitors, the men in tights who have come to save Dr Steve Choong from the GMC [ and me!].

Introducing Dr Steve Choong - written by Ryans Solicitors.

Dr Choong is aged 53. He is a Consultant Psychiatrist in Adult Psychiatry with the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

Dr Choong qualified in 1984 from Trinity College, Dublin with the qualifications MBBCh BAO.
His further qualifications are:

• MRCPsych (November 1989), MBA (2003).
• Certificate of Performance in Coaching Practice (2009)

Dr Choong's employment history has been as follows:- [omitted]

The Case Examiners will see from this history that not only has Dr Choong been a Director of Medical Development (which we shall refer to as "Medical Director" within this letter) but he has also been a Clinical Director at a previous Trust and so has had defined roles in management within Trusts, as well as clinical practice. In addition, Dr Choong has held a number of other roles including:-

• Chair of Management Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists from 2003 to 2007.

As the Chair of this group, Dr Choong assisted committee members in the promotion of management activities for the Royal College and provided advice to the college. In addition he organised educational sessions and training sessions and participated in the annual conferences.

• Member of the RCPsych network of medical directors.

Dr Choong did this for approximately 2 years.

This is similar to the Royal College Special Interest Group post. The focus was on management and leadership issues relevant to Medical

Directors.

Chair ofthe West Midlands Medical Directors in Mental Health. Dr Choong held this position for approximately a year, and organised regular meetings for the Medical Directors in the West Midlands to enable them to support each other and provide advice to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, West Midlands Division. He also worked with the School of Psychiatry and Strategic Health Authority. Clinical Assessor for the NHS complaints procedure.

This would involve Dr Choong attending at other trusts in order to assist in dealing with NHS complaints that could not be resolved locally, where an independent clinical assessor was required. As a ex GMC Panellist, I wonder how many GMC Case Examiners he has had meetings with :).

Examiner for the GMC PLAB examination.

Dr Choong did this for a number of years. This would involve him examining doctors who had qualified overseas to assess their competency in relation to GMC standards.

MRCPsych Part 1 Examiner.

Again this was a similar role to that of examining for the PLAB, involving assessing doctors in clinical scenarios. Dr Choong is now an examiner for the CASC (Clinical Assessment of Skills and
Competencies) for the Royal College of Psychiatrists. This is a longer and more detailed examination than the part 1 exams.

Divisional Public Education Officer of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Dr Choong carried out this post for a brief period, with a focus on public education.

• Consultant Advisor to the local implementation team in South Birmingham, and part of the national network of advisors.When working in Birmingham Dr Choong was a Consultant Advisor,
working with different groups of colleagues, including Primary Care representatives, user and carer representatives, discussing how local services could be improved and how services were linked to national directives for mental health care.

• Member of Fitness to Practise Panels of the GMC.

Dr Choong completed this post from July 2006 to August 2009. Dr Choong used to sit on the shorter GMC Fitness to Practise hearings, of usually no more than 1 week. He did less than 20 days a year. Dr Choong received some training to start completing the Interim Orders
Panel hearings, but did not then have the time to pursue that further and he stopped being a

GMC Panel member in August 2009.

From January 2002 to March 2004, whilst the Clinical Director of Adult Services including Psychotherapy and Specialities at the South Birmingham Mental Health Trust, Dr Choong managed 28 Consultants. In both years the Trust achieved three star status and Dr Choong assisted in setting up new risk management and clinical governance arrangements.

Major service reorganisation was implemented including two new home treatment services, with four additional clinical teams for catchment area work. This necessarily involved re-adjustment to distribution of resources and work with patients, carers, staff and primary care partners.

The current allegations centre on a time when Dr Choong was Medical Director at Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. The Case Examiners will see Dr Choong joined that Trust in June 2004 as Medical Director, initially a full-time post and so was a Corporate Director of the Trust with specific responsibilities for governance, including overseeing protocols, advising on policies and procedures, and setting standards and attending meetings for quality assurance. Dr Choong would also chair committees and complete minutes of meetings all with the aim of promoting good practice and more efficient services at the Mental Health Trust From August 2005, even though Dr Choong was continuing his role as Medical Director, Dr Choong also began clinical work for the Trust in his capacity as a Consultant in Adult Psychiatry. This was for approximately half the week. Dr Choong worked at the Hillcrest Hospital in Redditch, as well as in the community in Redditch and attended other hospitals such as the Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, Kidderminster Hospital, Newtown Hospital and Worcester Royal Hospital when
required. Dr Choong's timetable was flexible.

He would run out-patient clinics and ward rounds, see emergency patients and liaise with nurses, social workers, police and other clinicians. In February 2006 Dr Choong became Consultant in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit at Hillcrest Hospital. This Unit changed premises approximately two years ago to the Newtown Hospital in Worcester (Hadley Unit).

In September 2009, Dr Choong stepped down as Medical Director of the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership Trust. This was out of his own choice. Dr Choong wanted to concentrate on the clinical side of work and also to spend more time with his family. From September 2009 Dr Choong has also been Consultant in rehabilitation Psychiatry at the Keith Winter Close Unit in Bromsgrove. Consequently now Dr Choong concentrates on the psychiatric intensive care patients and rehabilitation psychiatry. This involves assessing, treating and reviewing patients who are quite unwell and often disturbed, as well as those with rehabilitation needs.

In Dr Choong's first year as Medical Director, the Trust moved to a three star rating,
and, in addition, he:-

• Ran four sets of leadership training and development for Consultants in these 5 years, including an innovative programme, using the Medical Leadership Competency Framework being run currently. Forged stronger links with Birmingham Medical School and Warwick
Medical School with an increased intake of medical students.

• Supported the development of new services, for example, early intervention in dementia and an in-reach service into nursing homes for the elderly.

• Initially helped to set up and chair the Business Development Group, now well established which plays a key role in delivering/supporting the integrated business plan.

Contributed to local health economy initiatives, including clinicians, primary care and acute health care services.

• Worked with Medical Directors in the West Midlands to support clinical leadership initiatives with the Deanery, the School of Psychiatry and the strategic health authority.

• Sought to promote relationships with Primary Care, statutory and voluntary organisations within and outside healthcare.

He was one member of the Trust Board. The Board consisted of 6 appointed members including himself and 5-6 non-executive directors. Each Board member had a specific role.

The Executive Board members consisted of:-
o Chief Executive
• Director of Medical Development - (Dr Choong)
• Director of Operations (previously a director of mental health services
and a director of learning disability services)
• Director of Nursing
• Director of Finance
• Director of Assurance and later Company Secretary