Professor Was Highly Regarded By Patients
Published in Sentinel, 20 December 2007
As A junior doctor in 1998, and a person who has worked at North Staffordshire NHS Trust, and also an established whistleblower regarding the sub-standard care of acutely ill people at the trust, I have no reason to support the old boys’ network. But I would simply like to say that Professor David Southall was always well regarded by his patients and colleagues. Relatives who had met him and his colleagues would also speak highly of him. A patient relative once told me how kind he had been to her family. It was this description of overt kindness that struck me and the lady’s testimony has remained with me. Although I have never met Professor Southall, I have followed the last 10 years in depth, and independently came to the conclusion that he is a good doctor, who has been cut in his prime by a minority group. He has also survived the last 10 years due to his own strength of character. I know a number of people who have been subjected to harassment by the same group, and not tolerated the abuse at all. It seems that doctors no longer have the same rights as average citizens. Having had dealings with the campaign group against Dr Southall, I found that their concerns have not been based on sound evidence. Those who know the GMC through the Shipman Inquiry and the Public Policy Institute will know that the GMC has flawed systems. The GMC decision means that child protection is at considerable risk and no doctor can rely on the testimony of a third party or chaperone. None of the complaints against him have been made by those unrelated to this minority group. There are many families in Stoke-on-Trent who are brave people. There are many relatives to have suffered. This group does not consist of brave parents. Mike Wolfe is ill-informed on the workings of child protection and I invite him to familiarise himself with the documentation before putting pen to paper.??I hope Professor Southall is successful in his appeal.
DR RITA PAL
West Midlands
