Top UK Child Psychiatrist Suspended after Misconduct Hearing

One of the UK’s top child psychiatrists was today suspended for 12 months after he was found guilty of serious professional misconduct. Dr Patrick Cosgrove fired off a series of letters criticising the actions of fellow doctors and alleging a hospital inquiry whitewash, the General Medical Council was told.

The two-week inquiry in Manchester heard Cosgrove was one of the country’s leading experts in the field of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He wrote the letters between 1996 and 2003 while working as a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the private health centre, the Bristol Priority Clinic.

Outlining the committee’s judgment, Chairman Professor Norman Mackay said the comments made in the letters were “unprofessional, unsustainable and likely to cause the reader to doubt the knowledge and skills” of the doctors. He said: “The committee have found that the nature of this correspondence goes far beyond what amounts to robust criticism and that he acted in a wholly unprofessional manner in sending those letters. “(We) consider that Dr Cosgrove has not demonstrated any remorse or insight into his behaviour.”

He was also criticised for failing to monitor patients to whom he had prescribed powerful drugs such as Ritalin and Risperidone, used in the treatment of ADHD. Prof Mackay added: “Dr Cosgrove prescribed drugs to these patients but did not take appropriate steps to monitor the patients whilst they were taking the drugs prescribed and as such acted irresponsibly and not in the best interests of the patients.”

The committee also found his allegations of a hospital whitewash, which related to an inquiry following the treatment of a young boy by Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare Trust, to be “unsustainable”.

Prof Mackay said: “The committee have considered all the matters and judge Dr Cosgrove’s behaviour to be a serious departure from the standards of care and conduct expected of a registered medical practitioner. “The committee find Dr Cosgrove guilty of serious professional misconduct.” The GMC ruled that despite having retired from medical practice, Cosgrove should be suspended for 12 months, effective immediately.

This is very odd. Was he suspended for abuse, or for trying to blow the whistle?

See also this BBC Report. It reports that "Dr Cosgrove prescribed drugs to patients but did not take appropriate steps to monitor the patients whilst they were taking the drugs prescribed. As such, he acted irresponsibly and not in the best interests of the patients."