Dr Bawa-Garba and Clinical Leadership

Excerpt taken from the talk by Dr Krishna Kasaraneni's talk on the 2018-19 GP Contract

Statement by West Pennine Local Medical Committee

The treatment of our colleague Dr Bawa-Garba is a pivotal moment in the history of our medical profession.  We extend our heartfelt condolences to the two families at the centre of this tragedy – the Adcock and the Bawa-Garba families. 

The penalties handed down to Dr Bawa-Garba  - conviction for manslaughter, and being struck off by the GMC – send a powerful message to all doctors and other clinicians in the UK.  We learn that a doctor can become a scapegoat for system failure in the NHS.  We learn that when we make a mistake we will be judged against impossibly perfect standards.     

This message comes at a time of crisis in the NHS when medical and other staff are working in overstretched and often unsupported conditions. 

We stand in support of our colleague Dr Bawa-Garba in inviting LMCs across the UK to make a united statement.  We call on the clinical leaders of our medical profession to stand up together and to publicly denounce the handling of this case and to make a clear statement on what we stand for together