CONFLICT OF INTERESTS AT GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL

Although General Medical Council (GMC) has clear guidance on declaration of conflict of interests this has not been respected by some medical experts. One of them is Dr Gwen Adshead who sat on my FTP (Fitness to Practice Panel) without declaring her membership of Spirituality Special Interest Group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, London to GMC or FTP or me. I even telephoned the Royal College to check if she was the chairperson of Ethics Committee at the time of my hearing as was published on GMC website. She was not a chairperson but was still a member of Ethics Committee she told FTP without a word about Spirituality Section.

Spirituality Section is the very same section whose members repeatedly refused to discuss the subject of religious uniforms. The same lot was quite happy to listen to Professor Michael Kelley who told them: "My thesis is simple: it may be fruitful to do more experimental investigations of religious processes, just as one can have experimental psychology of other process domains in psychology (perception, memory, learning, emotion, personality, social behaviour). However, there is no academic journal dedicated to reporting experiments on religious processes, spirituality, or faith-related issues and the current speciality journals on this topic seldom contain articles using this methodology".

Well, the members of Spirituality Section do not like research. At least three have been active in impeding the process of research on faith related matters. Professor David Jolly refused permission to answer application for research to find opinions of patients about the wearing of religious uniforms in mental health setting. He just sat ignoring my request for an answer. If he did answer he would have to justify his answers. If he did not say anything and I went ahead as I did he would, as he did, make allegations I did unauthorised research . Sorry, Professor Jolly, but patients have their opinions without your permission and they have every right to communicate this to me.

Another notable member is Dr Mike Shooter ex-president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists who was comfortable to reject the topic of religious uniforms. He is a child psychiatrist and we all know just how thoughtful paediatricians are when they do not wear white coats. So why should children be scared of religious uniforms designed to be off-putting? Unless of course, Dr Shooter has a nun clad in PVC mini sitting on his lap. Sorry, for any misunderstandings.

Having failed to get me certified as mad Dr Gwen Adshead, Consultant Forensic Psychotherapist from Broadmoore Hospital designed psychiatric monitoring for me in the form of supervision by psychiatrist for the following:

1. anger. I guess so that I can placidly accept any stupidity, nastiness, incompetence or deviousness by some members of the Royal College of Psychiatrists members.

2. team working. This is euphemism for laisser faire; but mostly not putting patients' interests first as it may conflict with that of the staff (such as doing no work when this is needed)

3. communications (not writing angry letters in case any members of medical or religious community are offended). Never heard of free speech?

This can go on for three years by which time one could be qualified to do anything else, but encounter the same barrier in the courts if injustice is encountered in one's life. One can change profession, but what about the state?

So, in a society where social injustice is guaranteed the obvious solution is a political system change. For the Royal College of Psychiatrists that would mean accountability of its members and Spirituality Section dissolution. Sorry, Prince Charles. I know it was your idea to form Spirituality Section. Not as it turned out, surely, working against the interests of the patients and public.