Archive for the ‘Press Release’ Category.
6th March 2008, 05:44 pm
PACA letter to Safeguarding Children Boards, written 16th February 2008
“We are writing to you about the crisis in child protection following the decision in December by a GMC Fitness to Practise panel to erase Professor David Southall from the medical register. We are appealing to you as we believe that the effect of this case will be to deter paediatricians from acting in child protection matters. This can only place the most vulnerable children at even greater risk [...]“
To read the full letter, please download it here
6th December 2007, 02:57 pm
Released: 4th December 2007
Writer: Dr Patricia Hamilton, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Published at: RCPCH
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) is saddened and disappointed to learn of this judgment. David Southall has made a major contribution to child health both nationally and internationally and has been a strong advocate for children during a distinguished career.
Sadly there are circumstances where parents may have harmed their children, and in these situations health professionals have a statutory duty to act on their concerns and look after the best interests of the child. This is clearly defined in the Government’s document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.
We are very concerned that paediatricians and social workers will be deterred from undertaking child protection work, and that children and young people may come to harm.
Dr Patricia Hamilton, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
5th December 2007, 02:44 pm
Released: 4th December 2007
Writer: Dr Evan Harris MP
Dr Evan Harris MP, who has been supporting Dr Southall (and before him Prof Roy Meadow) against a campaign of vilification by campaign groups, and defending paediatricians who perform child protection work, said:
“In the light of the GMC finding that Dr Southall accused a grieving mother (Mrs M) of murdering her son (M1) during an interview on 27th April 1998 undertaken as part of child care proceedings, I am not surprised that the GMC has decided that it was Serious Professional Misconduct and has struck him off.”
“To erase Dr Southall from the Medical Register is still disproportionate to the alleged offence but the real problem here is how the GMC could possibly have found that that charge was proved beyond reasonable doubt when it was the word of two experienced professionals that it had not happened against that of a woman who clearly had antipathy towards Dr Southall.”
“This verdict is a serious miscarriage of justice and has major implications for the security of paediatricians doing vital and difficult child protection work, and who now cannot rely on the presence of a chaperone or 3rd party witness to defend themselves against potentially false or malicious charges, which occur in abundance in this fraught area.”
“The planned reduction of the burden of proof to the civil standard (balance of probabilities) would make matters even worse”
“The interests of children who are at risk requires paediatricians to be willing to come forward and the failure of the Government and the authorities to stem the campaign against child protection paediatricians is a scandal in itself which has real implications for child welfare.”
Dr Evan Harris MP
