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Science Forum Index » Psychology - Psychotherapy Forum » TheRapists
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| indomitable2 |
 Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 9:06 pm |
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WITNESS: against abuse by health & care workers is the only charity in the
UK working exclusively on abuse by health & care workers. WITNESS(formerly
POPAN) runs a helpline, a support and advocacy service, provides training
and develops new policy approaches to the prevention of abuse
http://www.witnessagainstabuse.org.uk/
Betrayal: the sex-hungry doctors who prey on patients
The doctor-patient relationship is built on trust. But for thousands of
women it can turn into one of abuse. Now the government is to take action to
end their misery
Gaby Hinsliff
Sunday January 28, 2007
The Observer
To the television scriptwriters, it must have seemed just another torrid
soap opera romance. And the tale of handsome young doctor Matt Parker's
fling with his beautiful but unstable patient certainly kept Holby City
viewers glued to the screen.
Article continues
But when Kathy Haq, a nurse from Sunderland, saw it she was moved to fury.
What horrified her was the dismayed reaction of some fans on the BBC drama's
website when Parker ended the affair: 'They were saying, "Oh, he shouldn't
have had to finish with her". The public have got to know that this is just
not allowed.'
The story did not just offend Haq's professional sensibilities - a doctor
can be struck off for sleeping with a patient because of the risk of
exploitation. It also revived painful memories. She was a 19-year-old
trainee nurse when, suffering from depression, she was referred to a
psychiatrist called William Kerr.
In the privacy of the consulting room, she says, the doctor exposed himself
to her, saying that 'this is what you need'. What is shocking about the
abuse that she went on decades later to describe in court is that it was
preventable.
A subsequent public inquiry into how Kerr and his colleague Michael Haslam
got away for decades with indecently assaulting and seducing vulnerable
patients established that the first complaint against Kerr was in 1965 - by
a woman patient who reported being told that sex would cure her. By the
Eighties, there had been nearly 30 separate complaints or concerns raised
about Kerr's behaviour, but none was taken sufficiently seriously to prompt
a full investigation. When a senior nurse at the Clifton Hospital raised the
alarm after learning a patient had had an affair with Kerr, she was demoted.
'People used to say to me: "How do you keep going year after year?" and I'd
say, "sheer anger",' says Haq, who now runs the Kerr/Haslam survivors'
group. She says the effect on the victims' marriages, jobs and health was
devastating. One girl whose father approached the group was sent to Kerr
aged 16 after being sexually abused by an uncle, but claimed she was
subsequently abused by Kerr. Another woman 'still thinks he is coming for
her to take her children away, 25 years down the line. Those kids are grown
up and married, and she still has dreams about this'.
The medical establishment insists that, in the nine years since Kerr was
charged, medical regulation has been transformed rendering such a scandal
far less likely now. But with rising numbers of ordinary Britons now seeing
therapists and plans for a massive government-backed expansion of 'talking
therapies', campaigners fear a whole new class of vulnerable patients is
emerging.
While NHS psychiatrists like Kerr and Haslam were at least regulated by the
General Medical Council, the growing army of counsellors, therapists,
healers and alternative medicine practitioners are not. There is no register
they can be struck off, no professional code to break, no way for the GMC to
rule on their competence or ethics. Yet they have intimate access to
vulnerable, distressed and damaged people. Campaigners says this gives rise
to a grey area which serves neither patients nor reputable practioners. The
case reported in The Observer today of alternative practitioner the Barefoot
Doctor, who has been forced to defend himself on his website against
allegations of inappropriate relationships, illustrates this.
The Department of Health will shortly unveil plans for a massive overhaul of
medical regulation, including the long-term creation of a 'level playing
field' for alternative practitioners. The move follows concerns that some
psychiatrists subject to GMC investigation simply reinvent themselves as
unregulated therapists, while patient groups argue that any unqualified
individual can currently call themselves a counsellor.
Nearly half the complaints received by Witness, which represents patients
alleging sexual abuse, involve unregulated practitioners. Director Jonathan
Coe estimates there are 100,000 people offering so-called 'talking
therapies' nationwide: 'Anyone can put a plaque on the door and start seeing
vulnerable people. That has to change.'
Yet the recent history even of regulated professions suggests too often
patients were betrayed. The public inquiry report into Kerr and Haslam is
one of four sitting on the desk of Health Minister Andy Burnham, beside
those into serial killer and GP Harold Shipman; the gynaecologist Clifford
Ayling, who sexually assaulted patients for decades in Kent, and the surgeon
Richard Neale, struck off in Canada following a patient's death but allowed
to practise in his native Britain.
The four cases are very different, but what they have in common is the
devastation visited on patients and families, the profound deafness of
medical professionals to complaints about colleagues and the repression of
NHS whistleblowers. What shines through is the ease with which the deep
trust placed in doctors was breached.
For solicitor Sarah Harman, the sheer avoidability of the suffering is the
worst thing. After nearly 30 years of complaints against Ayling, none of
which were seriously pursued, the final indignity was the General Medical
Council's decision to let him continue practising while under investigation
for sexual misconduct. Seven women reported being assaulted during that
time. 'I acted for women who had been abused many years ago. They felt angry
that their complaints were not heeded. They couldn't believe so many women
were making the same complaints,' Harman, the sister of Harriet Harman, the
Constitutional Affairs Minister, says.
Perhaps the most startling failure to act, according to the independent
inquiry into the Ayling case, came in 1980 when a nursing sister, Penny
Moore, allegedly caught the gynaecologist masturbating over a patient. Moore
banned him from the antenatal clinic at Thanet Hospital, Kent, and told the
woman's consultant, who promised Ayling would be referred to a psychiatrist.
But the police were not involved and there is no evidence that anything was
done. When, some time later, Moore discovered Ayling was to be allowed back
on the ward and protested, she was told by a consultant 'not to question a
fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists'.
Yet the evidence kept piling up. The same year a patient's husband
complained of 'sadistic' treatment, saying Ayling appeared to enjoy giving
the woman a rough internal examination. Hospital staff refused to be treated
by him for their own pregnancies. There were repeated complaints of
uncomfortable deliveries, lingering too long over intimate examinations,
inappropriate sexual remarks and offering to sew patients up 'nice and
tight' after episiotomies. He was eventually sacked in 1987 for injuring a
baby during a Caesarean but got a job in Thanet's colposcopy clinic, which
performs invasive tests on the vagina and uterus, instead.
A year later a woman escorting her teenage daughter to his clinic reported
Ayling for rubbing himself up against the girl. His contract was not
renewed, but no connection was made with the fact that Ayling had also
worked as a GP since 1981. He continued to do so, triggering further
complaints of unnecessary vaginal and breast examinations. Patients who
queried him were told they could die of cancer if they did not submit and
Harman argues he often treated women who had little other choice.
'He dealt with army wives who didn't know the area. He took on women who
were not seen by other practices because they were drug users. He
over-examined them and frightened them by saying that they needed tests
every three months, which they didn't.'
A neighbouring GP, to whom some of Ayling's patients defected, was worried
enough to raise the allegations with Ayling, who denied any wrongdoing.
After similar complaints emerged at another hospital employing him, an
inquiry began in 1993 but Ayling continued to do locum work. Finally in 1998
the health authority received a complaint of indecent assault and involved
the GMC: he was arrested shortly afterwards.
Two decades after Penny Moore's challenge, Ayling was sentenced to four
years for indecent assault. He was out of jail before the inquiry's findings
were published, protesting his innocence. Nonetheless around 30 of Harman's
clients successfully sued for compensation.
Meanwhile Moore, the unsung heroine of the inquiry, is said to remain
distressed that she could not do more to help. It is a feeling Lin Bigwood
would recognise. The former deputy sister at Clifton Hospital now lives
quietly in the West Country, her career never having recovered from
confronting Kerr.
In 1983 a psychiatric patient told Bigwood she had had an affair with Kerr,
and that he had sex with others too. The nurse spent five years fighting for
an inquiry into his behaviour. For her pains, she was demoted, while Kerr
retired in 1988 with a glowing letter of thanks. The professionals had again
closed ranks.
Haq says that, while attitudes now have changed dramatically from the 'old
school tie' days of doctors arrogantly defending colleagues they trained
with, the culture has not entirely disappeared. 'At the time a lot of them
were public schoolboys, now we have got comprehensive school lads coming
through. But there's still a tendency to protect your colleagues.'
She was one of 15 women who eventually went to court in 2000 - although
Kerr, suffering from a degenerative brain disease, did not undergo a
standard trial. He was found guilty on one of 19 counts of indecent assault,
with the rest either ruled not proven or allowed to lie in record when the
jury could not decide. Kerr was placed on the sex offenders' register and
subsequently died. Haslam, charged after this trial ended, was sentenced to
three years.
The subsequent inquiry found what it called an 'unhealthy' culture of
professionals reluctant to act against each other, with patients routinely
disbelieved. It recommended more collation of 'soft' evidence - concerns
falling short of official complaints - and research into sexualised
doctor-patient relationships. The Ayling report recommended offering
chaperones for intimate examinations, and better co-ordination of separate
complaints.
Both were investigating offences dating back to an era of old-fashioned
deference to doctors. Yet the Kerr/Haslam inquiry concluded that, even by
2005, too little had changed: 'Substantial risks remain that patients or
staff who raise concerns will not be heard... we are not persuaded that
their concerns will even now be speedily and appropriately addressed.' Could
it happen still?
Jonathan Coe argues it is. His organisation, Witness, receives around 100
direct reports of abuse annually, a caseload dominated by obstetricians and
gynaecologists - whose consultations are uniquely intimate - and
psychiatrists, whose power to section patients gives them an unusual hold
over potential victims. 'I have met women who came forward and were
encouraged not to say anything,' he says. 'They were told, "It won't be good
for your mental health if you raise this".'
And even when patients persevere, it is usually their word against a
doctor's. Which is why Witness has campaigned for a civil standard of proof
in GMC cases - on the balance of probabilities - not the tougher criminal
standard of beyond reasonable doubt. The change was backed by Dame Janet
Smith's inquiry into Shipman, and by the government's Chief Medical Officer,
Professor Sir Liam Donaldson.
But it is fiercely opposed by the British Medical Association, which argues
it has compelling reasons for objecting: when Maria Marchese claimed the
psychiatrist who treated her partner had raped her, she seemed to have
cast-iron proof - traces of the doctor's DNA on her underwear. Dr Jan
Falkowski was suspended and told he faced prosecution. He lost private
patients and friends, while his relationship with his fiancee foundered
under the strain of constant menacing text messages from his so-called
victim.
But all was not as it seemed. Marchese was recently jailed for nine years
after a court heard she bombarded the couple with death threats - including
threatening to kill guests at their wedding. As for the supposed DNA
evidence, she had fabricated it using a condom stolen from Falkowski's
dustbin.
The case illustrates the risks for some doctors working with disturbed
women. Although Coe argues that the false accusation rate is only about 2
per cent, undeniably some practitioners face malicious complaints
threatening their livelihoods and liberty. The BMA argues that lowering the
burden of proof would mean dangerous miscarriages of justice.
Caught in the middle of this passionate debate is Finlay Scott, the softly
spoken chief executive of the GMC. He gave evidence to all four inquiries,
and says quietly that their stories stayed with him: 'Talking to the victims
of Kerr and Haslam was a profoundly moving and distressing experience. It is
undeniable they were let down by the system - not narrowly by the GMC, but
by the whole regulatory system.'
For, as Scott points out, in too many cases doctors and local health
authorities did not bother contacting the GMC even as the complaints stacked
up. It was repeatedly involved only at the eleventh hour, something
Donaldson wants to change by putting GMC affiliates into local NHS
organisations.
The vast majority of doctors, Scott argues, are competent and caring, but
nonetheless he backs a shift in the burden of proof, although he thinks this
should vary according to the gravity of the crime. 'If you are contemplating
taking away a doctor's livelihood, then you have to be sure of your facts.
On the other hand if you are proposing restrictions on a doctor's practice -
that they will not undertake a particular kind of procedure - you can be
more flexible.'
The GMC has already moved to defuse criticism by publishing proposals for
reform, including appointing an equal number of lay and medical members to
investigative panels and a tougher code of conduct. That appears to be
enough to avert threats to abolish the GMC. But it still faces criticism
over past failings especially in cases such as that of Richard Neale, a
British doctor struck off in Canada in 1985 after a pregnant woman whose
birth he had induced died. Neale returned to England and a consultant job in
Northallerton, Yorkshire: although a subsequent inquiry found the GMC was
informed of the Canadian conviction in 1985. In 1988 it was uncovered during
routine checks after Neale applied to become a police surgeon, yet the GMC
did nothing to stop him practising.
As Donaldson concluded in a review last July, Neale was shown an
'inexplicable degree of leniency'. He was only exposed when newspapers heard
of the Canadian death.
Better patient protection in future, Scott argues, may lie in tying
regulation to risk. If it knew where rogue doctors were most likely to
emerge, the GMC could concentrate its efforts. The other priority is
encouraging patients to stand up for themselves. Haq is helping the
Committee for Health Regulatory Excellence to compile advice for patients on
what constitutes doctors overstepping the mark. While she does not believe
abuse could now happen on the scale it did in Yorkshire, she says it will
always continue. 'There are rogue doctors and rogue nurses out there.
Hopefully the work we are doing will make people aware that this is not
acceptable.'
More sensitive handling of victims could also, Coe argues, encourage them to
come forward. One woman Witness recently supported through a GMC case was
left alone in a room during the hearing, where the accused doctor approached
her to her terror. Harman, however, sounds a note of genuine optimism. Last
year she represented a group of women sueing neurologist Dr Brian Phillips
over claims he groped them during routine examinations. Although he was
acquitted in court, the GMC struck him off for indecency.
The contrast between the cases of Ayling and Phillips convinced her that the
GMC has genuinely changed, she says. 'They realised the way they dealt with
Ayling was not approriate, and all credit to Ayling's former patients for
that. I do feel positive.'
When ministers publish their conclusions shortly, women nationwide will see
whether that hope is justified.
The accused men
William Kerr and Michael Haslam
A 2005 government inquiry found the two NHS consultants sexually assaulted
at least 77 of their patients over a 20-year period. According to the
inquiry, Kerr had raped or molested at least 67 women between 1965 and 1988.
Thirty-eight of the women complained to nurses and 11 GPs but were dismissed
as 'fantasists'.
Michael Haslam was jailed for three years in 2003, after being found guilty
of four charges of indecent assault on three patients between 1981 and 1988.
William Kerr was deemed unfit to stand trial for health reasons.
Clifford Ayling
The Kent GP molested dozens of victims over 30 years. Concerns were first
raised in 1975, but he continued working until 2000. He was jailed for four
years in 2000 after being convicted of 13 counts of indecent assault on
patients between 1991 and 1998.
Richard Neale
Consultant gynaecologist Neale botched operations on women that left them in
constant pain, incontinent or unable to bear children. He was struck off the
medical register in Canada in 1985, following the deaths of two patients,
but was allowed to work in the UK until 1999. He was struck off the UK
medical register in 2000. He was arrested and then bailed in 2006, as part
of an ongoing police inquiry.
Which doctors might turn rogue?
Some doctors present a far higher risk than others of turning rogue,
according to the anecdotal evidence of the head of the General Medical
Council's Fitness to Practise Panel.
Defendants are significantly more likely to be male than female. Although
half of junior doctors and a majority of medical students are now female,
chief executive Finlay Scott said the caseload is disproportionately male.
Doctors who trained and qualified abroad also face proportionately more
complaints, although it is not clear whether foreign doctors are less
competent, or just less likely to be protected by any old boys' network. 'We
do not have a complete answer,' said Scott.
Cases are disproportionately likely to involve doctors working in obstetrics
and gynaecology, general practice and certain specialist branches of
surgery.
The GMC, which handles about 150 cases a year, regulates on behalf of
patients, maintains a register of trained doctors and is largely funded by
their professional fees. Nurses and midwives have their own body, the United
Kingdom Central Council for Nursing.
Useful link
Witness: against abuse by health and care workers |
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| Alan Keyes |
| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 1:42 am |
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"indomitable2" <indomitable2@somewhere.net> wrote in message
news:d0Jai.15271$296.8214@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net...
: The doctor-patient relationship is built on trust. But for thousands
of
: women it can turn into one of abuse. Now the government is to take
action to
: end their misery
Yes, racist bitch Linda Gore, we well know you are sooooo disappointed
that you were not deemed worthy of rape by any your therapists. Must
suck looking the way you do.
How many years is it now that you've been fixated on rape? 40? Ever
since you were a pizza girl?
You really should come up with a different fantasy. Someone might take
it upon themselves to satisfy your curiosity.
Oh, those panties you lost?
Thrown away. |
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| Alan Keyes |
| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 7:09 pm |
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Guest
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"indomitable2" <indomitable2@somewhere.net> wrote in message
news:JD_ai.19071$Ut6.8586@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
:
: "indomitable2" <indomitable2@somewhere.net> wrote in message
: news:qu_ai.3028$tb6.1063@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
: > Ahem!
: >
: >
: > The Kosher Nostra (Adler, Schiff, Weil) are considered the
founding
: > fathers of the (Baby Raping) Boy Scouts of America.
: >
: >
: >
:
: BTW----another target recently published evidence indicating the
stalker
: AK/WHL/B/IM rapes/sodomizes babies.
:
: For those who are counting....
:
: That brings the total number of my stalkers who have been publicly
: documented as baby rapists/sodomizers/pornographers to EIGHT.
:
Who gives a shit what you think you filthy slut. Racist whore bitches
and nothing more than sheets on a bed to be changed daily.
You sick fskin fantasy is just that, no one wants your tired old body
filled with diseases and a sick perverted racist mind. btw, personal
info has been published and is being distributed WW. |
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