Doctor seeking personal injury claim
A doctor, who spoke out about concerns regarding the hospital which looked at Baby P days before he died, is to make a personal injury claim, and sue the NHS for forcing her out of her job.
The woman who is a consultant paediatrician, with Great Ormond Street Hospital, is seeking £100,000 in compensation after she claimed that the baby could have lived if her warnings were noted. She was employed by Gosh, which supplied doctors to Haringey PCT in north London.
She explained that she was signed off with stress months after filing a complaint back in 2006 and claims that she has been prevented from returning to her original post, where she was employed for between £70,000 and £100,000.
Baby P suffered horrific injuries as a result of severe mistreatment by members of his family. The Doctor claims that Baby P's life could have been saved if changes had been made. This case highlights several areas of professional negligence, not only on the part of the medical institutions, but also from the social services and other bodies related to wellbeing of the baby.
The solicitors firm representing the woman said that she had filed a personal injury claim against the children’s hospital situated in central London.
Complaint made over working conditions
The consultant paediatrician decided to make a formal complaint about the staff shortages and a "chaotic" appointments system at the clinic. A spokesman for the Great Ormond Street Hospital admitted that there was "some foundation" to these claims and an action plan was drawn up to address them.
After making the complaint the doctor noticed a dramatic increase in her workload as consultant posts were cut. She was then signed off with stress in February 2007 and was kept on authorised leave. Her warnings came a year before Baby P was admitted to the hospital.
Soon after the baby’s death, the consultant was offered £120,000 by Great Ormond Street Hospital to leave her position permanently, as long as she signed a confidentiality agreement.
The solicitors representing the doctor in the case stated that, “despite being fit for work she has still not been supported back into her post”.
Internal investigations
Great Ormond Street Hospital said in a statement: "The trust has received a solicitor's letter and will respond in due course. It is not able to discuss possible future litigation. As a result of issues raised by the Doctor, the trust conducted an internal independent investigation, which was then followed by an external independent investigation by NHS London.
It added that: "The latter reported in December 2009 and concluded that this woman’s concerns in 2006 were taken seriously, that she was not targeted for raising those concerns, and that Great Ormond Street Hospital should organise further workplace mediation to enable the Doctor if possible to return to her original role.
It went on to say: "The trust accepted these recommendations and has been trying to facilitate that workplace mediation between the Doctor and colleagues in Haringey. Key staff must be able to work together and that is what mediation is seeking to achieve."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11368642
Updated on 10/12/2010