Southall is cleared of serious professional conduct

doi:10.1136/bmj.d6314

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Clare Dyer

¹BMJ

The child protection paediatrician David Southall has been cleared of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council over actions he took in two cases between 13 and 22 years ago.

A GMC fitness to practise panel found him not guilty of serious misconduct in keeping special case files separate from hospital medical records on two children without sufficient signposting, and sending a copy of a letter detailing child protection concerns about one of the children to the paediatrics department at the child’s local hospital, without addressing it to a specific paediatrician.

Several paediatricians called on behalf of Dr Southall gave evidence that both were minor errors. Dr Southall sent the letter about Child H in …