Examination of Witnesses (Questions 580-582)
DR JEAN
MONRO, DR
DAMIEN DOWNING,
MR DON
HARRISON AND
PROFESSOR SIMON
WESSELY
21 FEBRUARY 2007
Q580 Lord Broers: To register with the
Health Care Commission.
Dr Downing: Yes.
Mr Harrison: We ourselves are not. Our members
have to rely on the regulation that comes from the association
as a whole. We have to rely on ourselves to put the regulations
in place. I have been a qualified pharmaceutical chemist for 50
years and I am headed by the Pharmaceutical Society, I cannot
put a step out of place, and I have to ensure that our members
toe the line, and I am pleased to say that they do. They would
be removed from our register immediately if they cause problems.
We are open to listen to patients who have been to therapists
who are members of our association so the patient has a direct
line with which they can communicate and get answers.
Dr Monro: I was just going to say with regard
to doctors, we have the Health Care Commission, we also have GMC
validation, and also we have to do CPD accreditation with them.
Yesterday, or perhaps today, there is a new five-year appraisal
for doctors that is being instituted. With regard to the products
that we use the neutralising vaccines or the low-dose immunotherapy
vaccines the Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency
is involved in supervising those so there are all the regulations
as far as doctors are concerned, and indeed the care standards
people are getting a more standardised format for their rules
of interpretation now.
Q581 Chairman: I think we need to finish
here. I just think it would be very helpful if in one short phrase
you could each tell us how your private clinic services communicate
with the patient's GP what has been happening?
Dr Downing: We send a letter direct to the GP
and any other doctors after first consultation and after any one
of which there is a significant event and after other ones. The
patient has a health dossier and there will be a summary of the
consultation.
Dr Monro: The same pertains in our facility.
Patients' doctors always receive letters. Patients are allowed
to say whether or not they want their doctor to receive information
and the responsibility then rests with the doctor in the facility
as to how they handle that. Our practice is always to give a report
to the patient to hand on to their doctor if they should decline
to have a direct communication.
Mr Harrison: Where patients are referred by
their doctor, then automatically the doctor receives an assessment
of the patient's condition, the treatment administered, and the
subsequent treatment recommended. Many patients who are self-referred
do not wish communications to go to their doctors. Nevertheless,
one does sometimes, unfortunately, find other conditions that
are present and then the patient is asked for permission to refer
to the doctor, and then of course the doctor gets an explanation
of what has been found and how and why and one hopes then that
the patient will go back to them.
Q582 Chairman: Professor Wessely?
Professor Wessely: I do not do private practice.
Chairman: Fine, could I thank you for
coming today. If there is additional information that you would
like to give us as a Committee please do write in and it will
be considered as part of your evidence. It will be helpful if
the references that you have referred to could be sent in to the
office, in particular the paper that you prepared for us today,
Dr Downing; that would be most helpful. Thank you very much indeed.
21 FEBRUARY 2007
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