Dr Helen Bright

Dr Helen Bright's case is an interesting one. She was a consultant psychiatrist until her Medical Director's conduct ensured she was thrown into the GMC's pit of vipers. As a survivor of this pit of vipers, Helen Bright continues to raise a number of interesting issues through her blog.

Here is the Times reporting the case.

Dr Bright has a point about the impact of uniforms on people who have suffered at the hands of religious institutions.

It should be noted that the General Medical Council has no criteria as to what may or may not constitute a mental illness. Blake Dobson Fitness to Practise Directorate recently stated that he felt that no such directive was required.

Two cases the General Medical Council are aware of related to two junior doctors whose irate correspondence was used as so called " potential evidence of mental illness". In one complaint, the complainant withdrew the complaint. The GMC subjected the doctor to a review with two psychiatrists. Once he was pronounced sane, they placed him down the conduct route and gave him a 5 year warning. The second case related to a number of irate correspondence accusing the GMC of being "incompetent". The GMC set about instigating a covert investigation on their own volition. They subsequently paid out substantial damages by way of a legal settlement.

Bright has a post called GMC Madness. We have cut and paste this section in its entirety.

"Although I am a Consultant Psychiatrist I have now received no less than eight demands to undergo psychiatric examinations from General Medical Council (GMC) in London. I have never had mental illness in my whole life. My friends, my family, professional colleagues (psychiatrists, psychologist, nurses, managers and others) do not think I have any mental health problems at all.

It would appear that the only thing that is necessary for this to occur is to be critical of some professional practice.

In 1999 I objected to the wearing of religious uniform by social worker who worked with mentally ill. Psychiatrists and psychiatric nurses do not wear white coats or nursing uniforms as it creates barrier to trust. Wearing of uniforms in the psychiatric setting is associated with poorer compliance with treatment, more violence, and more self-harm. Although, I raised these issues through the usual channels, I was ignored and after I went to the press I have been subjected to the continuous harassment. The Medical Director of the hospital where I worked and to whom I initially complained about the social worker became a member of GMC council!!! He ignored my concerns. Naturally, ever since GMC has stood by what is wrong and against Human Rights. Patients are less important than a member of GMC. I had no deaths while I worked in that hospital by the way.

GMC referrals to psychiatrists are completely unnecessary and inappropriate way of dealing with political issues.

The only thing that is necessary to excite GMC is for some people to insinuate that a person is mad for the whole process to start with devastating consequences for the patients and a doctor. Diagnostic criteria such as DSM IVR or ICD10 are completely ignored. If witnesses contradict each other and themselves that appears to be acceptable"