Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change our server in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7131 Volume 316 News Saturday 21 February 1998 GMC reviews assessor's appointment The General Medical Council is reviewing its provisional appointment of a gynaecologist to oversee the retraining of doctors after a television programme revealed that he had been forced out of three hospitals and had his licence to practise revoked in Ontario. Mr Richard Neale had applied to be one of about 400 assessors who would oversee the retraining and rehabilitation of doctors whose performance was found to be seriously deficient. But after the BBC programme Close Up North the GMC announced that it was "looking very carefully" at Mr Neale's suitability. The programme showed that Mr Neale, who now practises in Harley Street, had had his privileges removed at one hospital in British Columbia and at another in Ontario. In 1985 Yorkshire Regional Health Authority appointed Mr Neale a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton. In 1986 he was formally struck off by the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ontario after the death of one of his patients. He had used an unlicensed drug, and records had been altered. Both the health authority and the GMC were informed but no action was taken. In 1991 Mr Neale received a police caution and verbal management warning as a result of an incident in a public toilet in Richmond. Later that year he was promoted to the post of clinical director of the maternity unit. It was not until two years later that the news of his Canadian past and the incident in Richmond was leaked to the local press. Two years later the trust instituted disciplinary proceedings against Mr Neale for leaving junior doctors unsupervised and over two expenses claims. The trust eventually negotiated a confidential departure settlement, which included dropping the disciplinary action and a payoff of £100,000 ($160,000). In a statement the trust said, "We decided to pay him £100,000 because it would have cost at least this much money to attempt to take action against him. We would have been unable to dismiss Mr Neale until an appeal before the secretary of state had been heard. These take between 18 months and two years." In a statement the GMC confirmed last week that Richard Neale had been included in its list of prospective assessors but that his employment was subject to checks which had not yet been completed. Colin Grant, Newcastle upon Tyne Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline