The nasty virulent little website - iwantgreatcare - developed by Dr Neal Bacon (a failed nephrologist) with his mate Professor Chris Bulstrode (neighbour and 'academic' emergency surgeon) has still not gone away.
I know nobody apart from these two unsavoury characters who think it is a good idea. Dr Bacon has a financial interest in it since his main career as a nephrologist (kidney and urine specialist) has palpably failed.
Professor Bulstrode is a more complex case: what are his reasons for supporting it? Is he the mouthpiece for the GMC (General Medical Council)? Is he in league with the Department of Health? Does he have shares in this ridiculous adventure? Is he a stupid fool?
The only saving grace is that the Jobbing Doctor does not appear on it (as yet), although retired and dead people are.
Bacon is a disgrace to the profession. Bulstrode may be as well, but I don't know.
If I eventually do appear on it I shall get really cross: you wouldn't want to see that.
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6 comments:
You may be interested to read the piece in pulse dated today that suggests the GMC may use annoyomus comments in fitness to practice hearings....now correct me if i am wrong but didn't the law lords say that such evidience was not sound in a court of law.?????
Indeed, Dr Lamb*, you are right. The report was about the inherent illegality of the use of anonymous witnesses.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7461142.stm
The GMC are also reducing the burden of proof from 'beyond reasonable doubt' to 'on the balance of probabilities'.
We have not been well served by the GMC, who are increasibgly becoming an executive arm of the Department of Health.
And with 'Professor' Bulstrode on it, it is hardly surprising.
It's not quite the case that no-one thinks these type of websites are a good idea. When I blogged about it there were no critical comments.
I think perhaps if medical bloggers concentrated on the reasons you feel such sites are a problem rather than attacking the creators the vast majority of us who are open minded about these sites would potentially be more supportive. Attacking the creators sounds too much like sour grapes and the exact kind of intensely personal criticism you have of these sites.
As it stands it is so difficult to raise any kind of issue through official channels, not to mention how frightening that can be, that in my experience most people do not or feel they cannot take that route. If that was improved transparently and made straightforward I think the situation would immediately improve, but as patients seem to have no choice other than raising issues formally they probably see sites such as these as a good way to highlight areas of concern or praise informally.
Have a little more faith in patients, as you often talk about on this blog we tend to be supportive of our doctors and I expect that positive remarks will far outweigh the critical once this site gets going properly.
However, I quite agree with your point about the GMC!
BG
Not quite sure I agree with you bendy girl, although I suspect that good doctors should have little to fear from it.
It just feels that anyone with a grudge could post (and I know one patient in my practice who could put vindictive posts up about me all day because I asked him to justify am accusation of negligence against one of my partners - he couldn't, but refuses to see me as I called his bluff).
It just feels seedy to most doctors - even the good ones.
Then it seems to me that is precisely what you should be saying in your posts as all the attacks on Neal Bacon appear to make genuine concerns about his site seem a tad hypocritical.
I honestly believe (perhaps naively and perhaps wrongly) that good doctors have little to fear, especially from those with a grudge, I think that's probably precisely where your patients will show faith in you by posting positive comments, just like happens in the community now.
BG
Hi BG,
Is there a more constructive way to attack Dr B.A Con, the man with No Ham?
The difficulty is that by drawing attention to him and his pathetic site, we pay his GMC fee through Google Ads
I find the whole process of 360 degree feedback suspect vis http://doctorbloggs.blogspot.com/
As for why anyone does anything any more? Follow the money - Bulstrode or Bullfrog as he is now known following his debut on http://www.iwantgreatgmcmembers.blogspot.com/ is getting an early pension
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