Statistics for Doctors who are struck off for Benzodiazipine misuse

The request was successful.

Keith Mulholland

Dear General Medical Council,
how many Doctors have been struck off or disciplined for not prescribing diazepine drugs to the published guidelines. This in turn has created drug addiction to the prescribed drug

Yours faithfully, Keith Mulholland

FOI, General Medical Council

Dear Mr Mulholland

Information request - F13/5444/ME

Thank you for your below email asking for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

We will consider your request and give you the information as soon as we can, normally within the 20 working-day limit set by the FOIA.

I have allocated your request to Mark Ellen. If you have any questions, please contact him on 0161 923 6347 or email [email address].

Yours sincerely

Sarah Leigh
Information Access Officer
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street, Manchester M3 3AW

Email: [email address]
Website: www.gmc-uk.org
Telephone: 0161 923 6398

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Mark Ellen (0161 923 6347), General Medical Council

Dear Mr Mulholland

Ref: IAT/ME/F13/5444

Thank you for your e-mail of 13 May 2013.

We have now carried out a search of our electronic case management system for fitness to practise cases concluded between 2005 and 31 May 2013. This search has looked at cases where there is an allegation in the case containing a reference to the words benzodiazepines, zaleplon, zolpidem, or zopicione. We have identified 18 doctors who had disciplinary action taken against them over this period. Of these 18 doctors, 1 was erased from the register and 2 had their registration suspended.

I must stress that a case can have multiple allegations and that the disciplinary action we took does not necessarily relate to allegations in respect of the named drugs. Furthermore, the search we have undertaken is based on free text in our system. If there are other cases where the named drug is not recorded in the allegation(s) we would not be able to identify these.

Finally, the cases we have identified do not necessarily mean that the prescribing of these drugs led to addiction. We have no means of identifying cases of this specific type.

I hope that the information I have been able to provide is of some help to you.

Yours sincerely
Mark Ellen

Mark Ellen
Information Access Team
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester M3 3AW
Direct Line: 0161 923 6347

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