Health
A Culture of Fear and Bullying
60 doctors said they ‘live in fear of raising concerns’
The chair of the British Medical Association’s council has said doctors on the island tell him they are working under a culture of fear.
Professor Philip Banfield was invited to the island by the Isle of Man Medical Society, a visit which coincided with the conclusion of the Dr Rosalind Ranson tribunal.
Speaking this lunchtime, Prof Banfield said Dr Ranson’s case was ‘very disturbing’ and praised her courage for standing up for what she believed to be right.
He said: ‘I met with the doctors of the island last night and what was really alarming was the description of the culture of fear that they work under.
‘I had 60 doctors in the room and it was a universal comment that they live in fear of raising concerns, that bullying seems to be endemic and when we look at Dr Ranson’s case, it incredibly disappointing that a doctor who is extremely competent, doing their job trying to save lives during the Covid pandemic was not only ignored and prevented from raising her concerns with government, but then is vilified for doing so.
‘That is not only completely unacceptable, but it also really asks questions about how your health and social care service is run and what the interaction is between the people that run that system and your politicians.’
Prof Banfield said that the BMA recognises it needs to do more to stand up for doctors working on the island.
He added: ‘Here was a doctor desperately trying to save lives in an uncertain situation at the start of the pandemic, using the evidence that was available to her, to lock down, provide care and it is shocking that people died unnecessarily because of her being ignored and that then continued to lead to the destruction of her career.
‘That is just unacceptable, but what is more unacceptable is the suspicion that this is systemic, this is wider spread, not just within the Isle of Man, but reaches out into the UK.’
Prof Banfield said he intends to raise the case of Dr Ranson with the UK’s Health Secretary and the Justice Secretary, who is responsible for the good governance of the Crown Dependencies.
