The General Medical Council (GMC) is a regulator of medical profession and a registered charity. They decide if doctor can have licence to practise in UK. GMC can also prevent doctor from working abroad by refusing to issue Certificate of good standing. The latter prevents doctor from registering abroad quite effectively in countries that still believe in UK justice system.
It is known that GMC has protected paedophile doctors such as Dr Morris Fraser by not taking them off the medical register despite court convictions of paedophilia.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/dr_morris_fraser?nocache=incoming-765319#incoming-765319
In contrast, GMC persecuted and erased from the medical register doctors like Dr Helen Bright whose work was to protect victims of child abuse, promote freedom of speech for the patients, educate professionals and create the first residential treatment facilities for the survivors of the abuse.
She objected to the wearing of the religious uniforms by mental health workers. Uniforms act as a barrier to trust and development of rapport. Doctors' white coats and nursing uniforms are not worn in mental health workplace in most parts of UK. There is use of nursing uniforms amongst female nurses in Northern Ireland. Some doctors in Northern Ireland said they are 40 years behind UK where uniforms in mental health were discarded about 30-40 years ago.
GMC employed Professor Dora Kohen who did her bit for the regime that employed her by
publishing that uniforms are great in mental health. She was GMC's Health Screener. It is of interest that hundreds of doctors died during GMC's investigations over the years. Many committed suicides. Professor Kohen also worked for the Parole Board. According to research many men in prisons suffered sexual abuse.
Here is research from another country showing 70% of prisoners have history of being sexually abused in childhood. There are many defects in healthcare of vulnerable men in prison and outside. Professor Dora Kohen published her substandard work in the Journal of The Royal College of Psychiatrists when ex-president of the College was editor. He was once also on Public Policy Committee of the College who refused to discuss the wearing of religious uniforms when they were asked. The response was that it was not in their remit. Anything is in their remit if it is relevant to the improvement of mental health. They have constitution written tot hat effect. Neither doctors nor their Chief Executive bother about constitutional matters. Why should they be bothered when there is plenty of paid work for them? Concern for patients' feelings is "unprofessional" except when it is convenient to "hang" some foreign doctor via GMC. Then language and freedom of expression become important.
Interestingly, at
Dr Morris Fraser hearing in 1974 a newly elected MP sat as a Legal Assessor, Patrick Barnabas Mayhew. He later became Attorney General for England and Wales and later Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He is related to late Princess Diana. Legal Assessors are not decision makers at GMC hearings. They advise on legal points relevant to the case. GMC did not publish his advise (nor that of other legal assessors in his hearings) in the record of the hearing as can be seen from the disclosures under Freedom of Information Act 2000 above.
It is known that Princess Diana opened Child Line and banned paedophile Bishop Ball from Highgrove, royal residence where he was a visitor.
According to public records both the Queen and Prince Charles supported Bishop Ball presumably, in the belief that he was innocent but also it is in the interest of power of their sort to go along with religious leaders to gain the power over gullible. Much has been written on the governing of the state and religion and how it does not work in the interest of people.
There is an interview with ex government
Chief Whip Tim Fortescue (1970-1973) Conservative, who stated to BBC that when MPs were involved in scandalous conduct such as that involving trouble with young boys the governing party helped them because it gave them power over them: they would do whatever they were asked to do from there on. At GMC, similarly, guilty doctors are employed as members of Fitness to Practice Panels because they tow the line GMC gives them. It is a simple prescription known for many years by power players.
Certainly, in Dr Morris Fraser's case,
Dr Fraser made promises to GMC of being good but to the contrary carried on abusing children. He abused children when he was a Consultant Child Psychiatrist. GMC accepted that he can continue working in other subspecialty of psychiatry such as that of Old Age Psychiatry as if there were no children in this world outside child psychiatry service.
Dr Morris Fraser was a member of Paedophile Information Exchange to which lawyers including future government ministers gave support, including future health government minister in Labour Party. Paedophile Information Exchange was funded by Home Office.
Department of Health ministers of different political parties repeatedly refused to facilitate freedom of speech for survivors of sexual abuse to current day by refusing to ban religious uniforms in mental health. The current government has poured money into mental health giving special funds for therapy services to those who suffered abuse. But Department of Health always sticks to their practise of providing the national policy of workwear for medical and surgical wards while mentally ill are willfully neglected. They are perfectly aware of the excess morbidity and mortality it causes.
GMC themselves have been aware for more than 15 years of the nastiness of their policy of supporting religious wear in mental health but they are rich and always ready to pull out of the hat another independent inquiry. This GMC did by having a report into doctors and religious belief. They completely ignored excellent submissions by Secular Medical Forum and National Secular Society. Yes, completely. Who pays the piper calls the tune. And walking over the dead bodies is not that hard after a while. Mentally ill who committed suicides in excess numbers are not important to GMC.
There is much wrong with Dr Morris Fraser hearings. In the first hearing there is no psychiatric expertise on the disciplinary panel panel.
There should be separation of executive from the panels but there is not as President sits on the panel. An MP also sits as a Legal Advisor.
The psychiatric brotherhood that appeared in later hearings defends Dr Morris Fraser giving him many chances to stay on the medical register.
One presumes that Dr Morris Fraser was a member of the old boy network of paedophiles that protected their members and GMC became part of their protective mechanisms. One of the implications of paedophile protection was that it became the tradition of corruption that carries to present day in various forms. For example, GMC refuse to correct their mistakes and rehabilitate those doctors they wronged. GMC was asked to do so by doctors repeatedly. Not only do they refuse to correct the mistakes but also threaten innocent doctors who asked for it and who have unblemished record before GMC.
In general, in UK, protection of paedophiles killed many people subsequently: men who committed suicides because nobody would help them, people died because good doctors were prevented from working by GMC who erased them from medical register.
There were financial problems for many unrelated people including banks who could not get their money because doctors could not work and pay their mortgages etc.
Families and friends despaired because their efforts to help good doctors led nowhere while GMC protected the bad ones.