Details of case examiners and experts used by the GMC in investigations and complaints against doctors.
Dear General Medical Council,
The GMC declines to provide the names etc of case examiners and experts used in investigations in to complaints against doctors. This is a very questionable stance and denies the complainant their basic rights under Article 6 Human Rights Act 1998, the Right to a Fair Hearing. The manner in which investigations are dealt with gives serious cause for concern. This situation needs to be remedied so that the GMC is transparent in these matters.
Please provide a full list of names of people who were used by the GMC as Medical Case Examiners and Lay Case Examiners in each of the 4 years ended 31 March 2023.
At the same time, supply a full list of the names of people used by the GMC as experts in investigations into doctors in each of the 4 years to 31 March 2023.
Yours faithfully,
Caroline Airley
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General Medical Council
Email: [2][GMC request email]
Working with doctors Working for patients
The General Medical Council helps to protect patients and improve medical
education and practice in the UK by setting standards for students and
doctors. We support them in achieving (and exceeding) those standards, and
take action when they are not met.
Dear Ms Airley,
Your information request – IR1-3975088772
Thank you for your email dated 26 June, in which you ask for a full list
of names of people who were used by the GMC as Medical Case Examiners and
Lay Case Examiners in each of the 4 years ended 31 March 2023 and a full
list of the names of people used by the GMC as experts in investigations
into doctors in each of the 4 years to 31 March 2023.
How we will consider your request
We are going to consider your request under the Freedom of Information Act
2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond, but we’ll come
back to you as soon as we can.
Yours sincerely
Lauren Barrowcliffe
Information Access Team Assistant
[1][email address]
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
Dear General Medical Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of General Medical Council's handling of my FOI request 'Details of case examiners and experts used by the GMC in investigations and complaints against doctors.'.
This request was made to you on 26th June 2023. The time limit for providing the information requested has expired some time ago. In the circumstances I am requesting an Internal Review.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...
Yours faithfully,
Caroline Airley
Thank you for getting in touch. Please note this is an automated email.
Your receipt of this means that we have safely received your email.
We are currently receiving a high volume of requests and there will be a
delay in getting back to you with a further acknowledgement. We will do so
as soon as we can.
In the meantime, if you want any further information about the GMC, please
visit our website: [1]Home - GMC (gmc-uk.org)
Thank you
Information Access team
General Medical Council
Email: [2][GMC request email]
Working with doctors Working for patients
The General Medical Council helps to protect patients and improve medical
education and practice in the UK by setting standards for students and
doctors. We support them in achieving (and exceeding) those standards, and
take action when they are not met.
Dear Ms Airley,
Thank you for your email dated 5 August.
We will be considering your email as a Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) appeal. We have a target response time of 20 working days. We will endeavour to respond to you within this timeframe.
Yours sincerely
Lauren Barrowcliffe
Information Access Team Assistant
[email address]
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
Dear Ms Airley
I’m sorry that there has been a delay in responding to your FOI request
made on 26 June 2023. We are continuing to consider our position in
respect of your request and unfortunately at this point I am unable to
give you an expected response date.
I appreciate that this will be a disappointing response. As you are aware,
you do have a further right of complaint to the Information Commissioner’s
Office, the regulator of the FOIA. Here’s the link to the relevant part of
their website should you wish to do so at this stage:
[1]https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/foi-...
Yours sincerely
Julian Graves
Julian Graves
Information Access Manager
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester M3 3AW
Tel. no: 0161 923 6351
Email: [2][email address]
Working with doctors Working for patients
The General Medical Council helps to protect patients and improve medical
education and practice in the UK by setting standards for students and
doctors. We support them in achieving (and exceeding) those standards, and
take action when they are not met.
Dear Julian Graves,
I refer to your response of 10 August 2023. Given the contents of this communication, please note that this request will be pursued with utmost vigour and by all means necessary. The GMC appears to be obstructive in relation to this request. I question whether there is any intention to provide the information and the reasons for this.
Yours sincerely,
Caroline Airley
Dear FOI,
I refer to your communication of 7 August 2023 and note that you have failed to provide either a further response, or the information requested. In the last message you stated that you had "a target response time of 20 working days". It is now 15 November 2023 and there has been no attempt to provide the information requested lawfully. It can be concluded that the GMC is deliberately failing to comply with the FOIA and for reasons best known to itself, declines to provide this information. The GMC is treating this with contempt. I draw my own conclusions about this matter. As another has pointed out, it is now just too late to refer this to the ICO so this will be dealt with by other means. The GMC has not heard the last of this.
Yours sincerely,
Caroline Airley
Thank you for getting in touch. Please note this is an automated email.
Your receipt of this means that we have safely received your email.
We are currently receiving a high volume of requests and there will be a
delay in getting back to you with a further acknowledgement. We will do so
as soon as we can.
In the meantime, if you want any further information about the GMC, please
visit our website: [1]Home - GMC (gmc-uk.org)
Thank you
Information Access team
General Medical Council
Email: [2][GMC request email]
General Medical Council
We work with doctors, patients, and other stakeholders to support good,
safe patient care across the UK. We set the standards doctors and those
who train them need to meet, and help them achieve them. If there are
concerns these standards may not be met or that public confidence in
doctors may be at risk, we can investigate, and take action if needed.
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The General Medical Council is a charity registered in England and Wales
(1089278) and in Scotland (SC037750)
_________________________________________________________________
Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol
Rydym yn gweithio gyda meddygon, cleifion a rhanddeiliaid eraill i
gynorthwyo gofal da a diogel i gleifion ar draws y DU. Rydym yn gosod y
safonau y bydd angen i feddygon a’r rhai sy’n eu hyfforddi eu bodloni, ac
yn eu helpu i’w cyflawni. Os bydd pryderon efallai na fydd y safonau hyn
yn cael eu cyflawni neu y gallai hyder y cyhoedd mewn meddygon fod mewn
perygl, gallwn ymchwilio, a gweithredu os oes angen.
Efallai bod y neges e-bost hon yn cynnwys gwybodaeth freiniol neu
gyfrinachol, y dylid ei defnyddio at y diben y’i hanfonwyd yn unig.
Os nad chi yw’r derbynnydd neu os ydych chi wedi cael yr e-bost hwn mewn
camgymeriad, peidiwch â’i ddarllen, argraffu, ail-anfon, storio na
gweithredu mewn ffordd sy’n dibynnu arni neu unrhyw atodiadau os gwelwch
yn dda. Dylech anfon e-bost at yr anfonwr ac yna, ei ddileu ar unwaith.
Mae’r Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol yn elusen gofrestredig yng Nghymru a
Lloegr (1089278) ac yn Yr Alban (SC037750)
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gmc-uk.org/
2. mailto:[GMC request email]
Dear General Medical Council,
It is with grave concern that I note you continue to fail to comply with the Freedom of Information Act in relation to this request. There can be no doubt this is deliberate obfuscation on the part of the GMC. It also represents unlawful conduct by the GMC.
The annotations made in this request give reasons to be concerned at the GMC's reluctance to be open and transparent. There are doctors out there who harm their patients, deliberately, or by neglect/negligence. When people raise concerns with the GMC they find they are vilified and defamed by the case examiners and so called experts used by the GMC. These individuals hide behind a cloak of secrecy and are untouchable. This is unlawful as well as a failure to provide a fair hearing under Article 6 Human Rights Act 1998. It is thought that Freemasony is an influence here with Masonic doctors sticking together like superglue. This was certainly a factor in the case of Harold Shipman.
In a recent case submitted to the GMC the person who had breast cancer and been subject of a failure to treat, plus mistreatment by a breast surgeon, found she was defamed in the GMC's investigation report. This constituted libel and having been mistreated by the breast surgeon, she was then abused by the GMC. There is no redress for this available to her in law. It is intended to put all the details online which will include the GMC's report and more. In the event certain individuals (such as Dermot Simon Murphy) feel that the content of this is untrue and malicious then they are welcome to sue.
Yours faithfully,
Caroline Airley
Thank you for getting in touch. Please note this is an automated email.
Your receipt of this means that we have safely received your email.
We are currently receiving a high volume of requests and there will be a
delay in getting back to you with a further acknowledgement. We will do so
as soon as we can.
In the meantime, if you want any further information about the GMC, please
visit our website: [1]Home - GMC (gmc-uk.org)
Thank you
Information Access team
General Medical Council
Email: [2][GMC request email]
General Medical Council
We work with doctors, patients, and other stakeholders to support good,
safe patient care across the UK. We set the standards doctors and those
who train them need to meet, and help them achieve them. If there are
concerns these standards may not be met or that public confidence in
doctors may be at risk, we can investigate, and take action if needed.
This email may contain privileged or confidential information which should
only be used 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. Please email the sender and then immediately delete it.
The General Medical Council is a charity registered in England and Wales
(1089278) and in Scotland (SC037750)
You are welcome to contact us in Welsh. We will respond in Welsh, without
this causing additional delay.
_________________________________________________________________
Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol
Rydym yn gweithio gyda meddygon, cleifion a rhanddeiliaid eraill i
gynorthwyo gofal da a diogel i gleifion ar draws y DU. Rydym yn gosod y
safonau y bydd angen i feddygon a’r rhai sy’n eu hyfforddi eu bodloni, ac
yn eu helpu i’w cyflawni. Os bydd pryderon efallai na fydd y safonau hyn
yn cael eu cyflawni neu y gallai hyder y cyhoedd mewn meddygon fod mewn
perygl, gallwn ymchwilio, a gweithredu os oes angen.
Efallai bod y neges e-bost hon yn cynnwys gwybodaeth freiniol neu
gyfrinachol, y dylid ei defnyddio at y diben y’i hanfonwyd yn unig.
Os nad chi yw’r derbynnydd neu os ydych chi wedi cael yr e-bost hwn mewn
camgymeriad, peidiwch â’i ddarllen, argraffu, ail-anfon, storio na
gweithredu mewn ffordd sy’n dibynnu arni neu unrhyw atodiadau os gwelwch
yn dda. Dylech anfon e-bost at yr anfonwr ac yna, ei ddileu ar unwaith.
Mae’r Cyngor Meddygol Cyffredinol yn elusen gofrestredig yng Nghymru a
Lloegr (1089278) ac yn Yr Alban (SC037750)
Mae croeso i chi gysylltu â ni yn Gymraeg. Byddwn yn ymateb yn Gymraeg,
heb i hyn achosi oedi ychwanegol.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gmc-uk.org/
2. mailto:[GMC request email]
Caroline Airley (Account suspended) left an annotation ()
There has been a continuing failure to comply with the FOIA by the GMC in relation to this request. It is clear that it has no intention of acting lawfully in this matter. It needs to be considered whether this is acceptable behaviour for an organisation responsible for investigating doctors and dealing with their misconduct, or worse. The GMC appears to be a cowboy outfit, refusing to act lawfully and displaying contempt for the people who complain to them. In the 21st century, how can this be tolerated any longer?
Sasha Rodoy left an annotation ()
I am no longer surprised by the GMC’s secrecy and contempt for the public.
The organisation is indisputably not fit for purpose, and this year I will do my utmost to expose them as such.
I intend to provide the government and press with evidence of lies from their legal team, and numerous copies of GMC medical expert's reports leading to no action being taken against negligent ophthalmologists, often the same ones time after time. These prove bias and support for the corruption within the refractive surgery industry.
I will be reporting my concerns to the Professional Standards Authority, but have yet to discover if they are equally untrustworthy!
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Sasha Rodoy left an annotation ()
• It is entirely wrong that the GMC internal processes are shrouded in secrecy, allowing major decisions to be made by anonymous ‘experts' who are often totally inappropriate for the job they're paid for, as proven at Dr Prashant Jindal’s FtP hearing in 2022 (to be relisted in 2024, dates pending), the expert unable to answer many of the important questions put to him by the tribunal panel (details on my social media sites).
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...
• The GMC's 'Big Brother’ approach in ruling 'not in the public interest’ is scarily dystopian and of great concern; countless investigations into complaints against refractive surgeons closed with these words, leaving them free to repeatedly damage more patients.
Recent posts on my social media pages show Dr David Teenan as a perfect example - thanks to a helpful slip up by a GMC Investigation Officer not redacting information that was previously refused under FOI request from one of the doctor's seriously damaged victims!
• I asked: "3. What is the GMC definition of 'public interest’?".
They replied: "We don’t have our own definition of ‘public interest.’ In relation to requests for information under the FOIA, we follow the definition of the public interest given in the ICO guidance I’ve linked to above.”
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...