Wednesday, November 16, 2005

"I will never trust another doctor'"

"When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals. He has nerve and he has knowledge." - Conan Doyle, The Speckled Band.

She certainly has the nerve. Most NHS trusts like to get a court order before they pull the plug against the family's wishes.

A doctor has been found guilty of serious professional misconduct for taking measures to end the life of a patient against his family's wishes.
Dr Ann David's treatment of a patient at Basildon Hospital was "irresponsible and unprofessional" the General Medical Council (GMC) found on Wednesday.

The hearing found that Dr David, 47, of Rayleigh, Essex, was "clinically unjustified" in withdrawing treatment.

She had taken Robert Symons, 60, off a ventilator despite family objections.

The panel also ruled this was "inappropriate" and "premature".

Charges against her alleged that she brought the life of her patient "to an end earlier than would have occurred naturally".

Essex Police later launched an investigation into Dr David over allegations about the death of a number of patients, but the matter was dropped by Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) due to lack of evidence.


In other news, the trial of two men charged with bringing Anthony Walker's life "to an end earlier than would have occurred naturally" continues, with full coverage on all major news channels.

And the trial of three people who "took measures to end the life" of Christopher Yates continues with no coverage at all.

Let us hope that the murderers are punished as they deserve. As all murderers should be.

No comments: