Professor Christopher Bulstrode on the left
Dr Jane Barton on the right
Dr Jane Barton, a doctor who was subject of very controversial GMC proceedings has now asked for her name to be removed from GMC register of doctors.
Her brother, Professor Bulstrode, who was a member of the GMC council at the time of the disciplinary proceedings against his sister, did not declare his conflict of interests and is now himself the subject of complaints before GMC because of that.
Dr Barton has conditions placed on her GMC registration and she would, in my experience, find it impossible to find any, for example, locum work where more stringent criteria are applied by health authorities and GMC itself when it comes to their investigations of complaints against doctors as per GMC policy. Locum doctors receive more conditions on their GMC registration at GMC FTP proceedings even if they had exemplary record with respect to patient care than Dr Jane Barton has. GMC Fitness to Practice Panelists are conformist and intolerant of foreigners, British doctors of 1st generation immigrants and are also less tolerant of women doctors including English doctors, in general terms.
Independent inquiry, may give the true answers one day for the relatives angry that they never got justice.
Unlike career locum doctors who have no pension from NHS, Dr Barton will be comfortably retired and probably does not need to pay GMC fees for no benefit to her. If she stayed on the medical register she would leave herself open to new allegations and new proceedings. GMC does not investigate doctors no longer registered with them unless they for example, annoy them through some published criticism.
GMC must be fed up with constant pressure surrounding her case when they have so many new complaints to deal with.
There is an English saying: "stitch in time saves nine", but GMC have allowed amazing stitch ups from medical profession to take place against foreigner doctors and GMC must know what is coming their way in the future: demands for justice and complaints against mobbers. A big hit from European Court of Human Rights, perhaps, too.
GMC have abused their power given to them under Medical Act 1983 to create rules which breach Human Rights Act. They have given themselves power to make up Fitness to Practice Panels in such a way that failures/defects in the appointment of the panelists do not invalidate the outcome of the hearing. GMC and the High Court accept decisions from panelists no longer appointed as Fitness to Practice panelists.
