Catto says that nothing could be further from the truth than the perception that the General Medical Council (GMC) is somehow determined unfairly to persecute paediatricians involved in child protection work (second letter). However, although the GMC made a similar response to the Guardian in April after our article in Pediatrics,1 2 a recent GMC panel in David Southall’s case produced a perverse and erroneous determination.3 We do not consider therefore that the GMC’s statement is yet reflected in its actions.

The GMC’s actions have included:

• A failure to acknowledge that it was wrong in stating that Meadow’s “conduct was fundamentally incompatible with what is expected by the public from a registered medical practitioner,” given …