Regulator Misses Dangerous Arrivals
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- Published: Friday, 10 October 2025 09:55
- Written by Peter Ingle
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As Dr Helen Phillips settles in as the GDC‘s new Chair she may be anxiously watching events at the General Medical Council. It is fair to say that the GMC are not having a good week.
They have been castigated twice in the space of a few days by the Secretary of state for Health and Social Care. A few says ago saw Wes Streeting said: “I have no confidence in the ability of our medical regulation system to keep patients safe and I am taking urgent advice on next steps.”
This followed the Medical Practitioner Tribunals Service (Their equivalent of the GDC’s Dental Professionals Hearings Service) ruling that a doctor who in Streeting’s words had repeatedly made statements that “reflects the values of Nazis” was fit to continue practicing medicine, and by implication work in the NHS.
Just six days later Mr Streeting has ordered an urgent review of vetting procedures for foreign-qualified doctors. This follows the revelation that 22 who had been banned from practising overseas were cleared to treat NHS patients. He said that the findings of an investigation by The Times were “horrific” and “a serious failure in our medical regulatory systems that I will not tolerate”.
One doctor has already been fired after the paper approached their employer with its discoveries. The doctor, employed by Bradford NHS trust lost his US licence to practice in New Mexico, for having sex with a patient in his office during an appointment when he had also prescribed her opioid medication. He specialised in treating vulnerable patients with conditions such as bipolar disorder.
He later fled the US after the authorities tried to collect his DNA. He was rejected when he applied for a licence in a number of other US states, based upon his original suspension, which appeared on the first page of google search results. Despite this his application to the GMC was successful and he joined the UK register in January 2025.
Another case involved a doctor whose Swedish licence was revoked in 2023 following repeated errors. Patient harm was only avoided when colleagues spotted his mistakes. The medical board had found that he was incompetent in his professional practice. After his initial probation order the doctor had worked for the Royal Free London NHS Trust and then a radiology firm that treats NHS patients, Hexarad, who following the Times disclosures, suspended and then fired him.
The Times also found a failure to communicate between the various UK healthcare regulators. A GP who had lost his licence in Australia was noticed by the GMC when he returned to the UK, which issued him with restrictions. However he is now working as a podiatrist and registered by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). There is no record of any restrictions on his HCPC profile.
Another case involved a German trained doctor who was suspended while working at a Dutch hospital, but was able to move to the UK and continue to practice. He failed to disclose to the GMC or Trust where he worked, that he was not permitted to see patients at the Dutch hospital.
The Times sent a request for any “lessons learned” reports completed following this episode, to the trust. The trust confirmed that it had no record of any such report being completed.
Other cases include a psychiatrist suspended after complaints of sexual harassment. Despite this and a “terrible” reference letter, he was able to join the GMC register.
A spokesman for the GMC said: “we take our role protecting patients extremely seriously.”
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