Accountability of psychiatrists

Our ref: F10/3232/ME

Dear D. Speers,

Information request

Thank you for your e-mail of 26 August 2010 in which you request
information about psychiatrists.

We will deal with your request in accordance with the provisions of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and you will normally receive the
information you seek within the 20 working day limit set by the Act.

The FOIA lists a number of exemptions that may prevent the release of
part, or all, of the information that you have requested. We will make
an assessment of the requested information and if it is subject to an
exemption you will be informed of this, together with details of your
right of appeal.

Your request has been allocated to Mark Ellen. If you have any queries
concerning your request you can contact Mr Ellen on 0161 923 6347 or
[email address]

Yours sincerely

Sarah Green
Information Access Team Administrator
0161 923 6365
[email address]

General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW

show quoted sections

Dear Mr Speers

Ref: IAT/ME/F10/3232

Thank you for your e-mail of 26 August 2010 in which you ask for
information about the numbers of psychiatrists who have been the subject
of GMC fitness to practise proceedings over the last 5 years.

I should explain that in April 2006 an electronic case management system
was introduced in respect of our fitness to practise work. The figures
that I have been able to obtain have been via this system and thus cover
the period from April 2006 until August 2010. I should further explain
that we do not routinely keep data as to the area of medicine that a
doctor works in. However, we do maintain a specialist register and the
figures I give below relate to doctors who are included in the specialist
register in a psychiatric specialty.

I can confirm that in the period I have outlined above, a total of 39
psychiatrists had a warning or agreed undertakings on their registration
at the Case Examiner stage of our fitness to practise procedures or at an
oral Investigation Committee hearing.

A total of 26 psychiatrists had sanctions applied to their registration by
a fitness to practise panel.

Finally, in your request you also ask how many of these were the subject
of further sanctions. I am unclear what you mean by this query. I'd be
happy to look at this if you could clarify this point for me.

Yours sincerely

Mark Ellen

Information Access Team

Direct Line: 0161 923 6347

Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the sender of this email, this
communication may contain privileged or confidential information which is
exempt from disclosure under UK law. This email and its attachments may
not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been
sent.

If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error, please
do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it or any
attachments. Instead, please email the sender and then immediately delete
it.

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AW

Regents Place, 350 Euston Road, London, NW1 3JN

The Tun, 4 Jacksons Entry, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AE

Regus House, Falcon Drive, Cardiff Bay, CF10 4RU

9th Floor, Bedford House, 16-22 Bedford Street, Belfast, BT2 7FD

The GMC is a charity registered in England and Wales (1089278) and
Scotland (SC037750)

Our ref: F10/3253/LG

Dear D. Speers,

Information request

Your e-mail of 13th September 2010, addressed to Mark Ellen in which you
request information relating to your previous request, has been passed
to the Information Access Team for reply

We will deal with your request in accordance with the provisions of the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) and you will normally receive the
information you seek within the 20 working day limit set by the Act.

The FOIA lists a number of exemptions that may prevent the release of
part, or all, of the information that you have requested. We will make
an assessment of the requested information and if it is subject to an
exemption you will be informed of this, together with details of your
right of appeal.

Your request has been allocated to Louise Gormley. If you have any
queries concerning your request you can contact Ms Gormley on 0161 923
6311 or [email address].

Yours sincerely

Sarah Green
Information Access Team Administrator
0161 923 6365
[email address]

General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW

show quoted sections

Our reference: F10/3253/LG

Dear Mr Speers

Thank you for your email dated 13 September 2010, in which you request
further information regarding doctors with a registered psychiatry
speciality that have had action taken on their registration.

In response to your request please find attached two tables. Table one is
the list of 39 doctors with a psychiatric primary speciality that were
given a warning or agreed undertakings on their registration at the Case
Examiner stage of our fitness to practise procedures or at an oral
Investigation Committee hearing. Table two is a list of those doctors that
had sanctions applied to their registration by a Fitness to Practise
Panel. Please note a doctor may appear on both lists.

A summary of a doctors Fitness to Practise History since October 2005 can
be found on the doctor's entry on our List of Registered Medical
Practitioners (LRMP), which can be accessed via our website:

[1]http://www.gmc-uk.org/

If a doctor has been issued a warning, the warning will be displayed on
the doctor's entry, and information about any undertakings imposed can
also be found on a doctor's entry on our LRMP.

I note you are also interested in the reasons why these sanctions or
warnings were imposed. I would only be able to provide further information
about those cases which were heard at a public Fitness to Practise hearing
or Investigation Committee hearing, as I could provide the hearing
minutes. Any doctors who have had a hearing within the last 12 months, the
public minutes can be accessed via our website.

I hope the above information is useful.

If you have any queries or concerns regarding the processing of your
request please contact Julian Graves, Information Access Manager, at the
address at the bottom of this email, or email [2][email address]

Kind regards

Louise Gormley

Information Access Officer
Registration Directorate

Direct Line: 0161 923 6311
Email: [email address]
Website: www.gmc-uk.org
Address: Information Access Team
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the sender of this email, this
communication may contain privileged or confidential information which is
exempt from disclosure under UK law. This email and its attachments may
not be used or disclosed except for the purpose for which it has been
sent.

If you are not the addressee or have received this email in error, please
do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it or any
attachments. Instead, please email the sender and then immediately delete
it.

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AW

Regents Place, 350 Euston Road, London, NW1 3JN

The Tun, 4 Jacksons Entry, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8AE

Regus House, Falcon Drive, Cardiff Bay, CF10 4RU

9th Floor, Bedford House, 16-22 Bedford Street, Belfast, BT2 7FD

The GMC is a charity registered in England and Wales (1089278) and
Scotland (SC037750)

References

Visible links
1. http://www.gmc-uk.org/
2. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]