Vol. 15 No. 2 (2022): Carolean Age- A New Dawn
Editorial

The Peculiar Case of GMC vs Pandian: Is an Apology admissible as an Admission of Guilt?

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  • Indranil Chakravorty
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38192/15.2.9

Published 2023-06-04

Keywords

  • Probity,
  • Professionalism,
  • Apology,
  • Admission of Guilt,
  • MPTS

How to Cite

Chakravorty, I. (2023). The Peculiar Case of GMC vs Pandian: Is an Apology admissible as an Admission of Guilt?. Sushruta Journal of Health Policy & Opinion, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.38192/15.2.9

Copyright (c) 2022 Indranil Chakravorty

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This editorial reviews the recent judgement by the MPTS of Dr Pandian's apology for distress caused as an admission of guilt in a peculiar scenario where contemporaneous notes made of an examination by Dr Pandian were discounted in favour of a recall by a patient of the event- of whether a physical examination had occurred. The punitive sanction by the MPTS appears to have gone against the regulator's guidance to professionals following the Duty of Candour regulation of 2014, amending the Health & Social Care Act 2008.

The editorial reviews the construct of honesty, the prevalence of dishonesty in the profession and whether recall bias may have influenced the scenario. The background of institutional racism against minority communities believed by many in the profession to exist in the health service and the actions of the regulator are also considered in this case.

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