Doctor's emergency bleeper 'dumped'

MLH1

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/courts/doctors-emergency-bleeper-dumped-2966500.html



A JUNIOR doctor facing allegations of professional misconduct repeatedly failed to answer a cardiac-arrest bleeper calling him to attend to a patient urgently.

A Medical Council Fitness to Practice hearing has heard that the bleeper was later found "dumped" in the outpatients' ward of University College Hospital Galway.

On a separate occasion, clinical blood test forms filled out by Dr Onada Olajide Onada were found in a rubbish bin.

Dr Onada was dismissed by the Galway hospital on March 21, 2011.

He now faces a total of seven allegations of professional misconduct, including engaging in harassing, inappropriate or intimidating verbal, email or SMS communications with up to four female colleagues.

Yesterday James Keane, the medical manpower manager for UCH Galway, told the hearing that when he raised complaints that Dr Onada had sent inappropriate texts to female colleagues, he "passed it off as if it was normal banter in the work place".

A later complaint made to Mr Keane by the hospital's switchboard supervisor, Angela Rowan, stated that Dr Onada had "dumped" his cardiac arrest bleeper on the first floor, a practice she described as "unacceptable".

Dr Onada told a disciplinary meeting held to discuss the matter that he had left the bleeper with his secretary.

The medical director of the hospital and Dr Onada's supervising consultant, who were present at the meeting, told Mr Keane they "were shocked that a cardiac arrest bleep would be left with a secretary or in an outpatients department".

"They said they had never heard of this in their history as doctors, that a cardiac arrest bleep was always handed from person to person," Mr Keane said.

Dr Onada failed to attend a subsequent meeting scheduled for January 18 despite being present in the hospital.

Insufficient

The following day, Mr Keane said it was put to Dr Onada that his explanation that he had left his phone at home was insufficient, "we put it to him that he was completely unreliable".

Mr Keane said it was decided that Dr Onada had shown such unreliability that the hospital couldn't rely on him to provide a safe service.

"We recommended that he be sent on administrative leave and that he be dismissed from his post."

Mr Keane remarked that in his 10 years in the job he had never before recommended the dismissal of a medical practitioner.

The hearing is due to resume in the new year.

- Kevin Keane

drkpower

Any opinion on the piece, OP?

Looks like a fairly clearcut case of prof. misconduct (or at least poor performance).

simit

Seems pretty straight forward.

TC80

If the MMM is to be believed. May well be so but given the behaviour and propensity for telling porky-pies among this particular group, maybe people should reserve judgement until we at least hear the doctors defence.

I long for the day MMMs are brought up on misconduct hearings of their own for abusing, lying to and bullying NCHDs to the point of despair. For forcing people to work twice as many hours in a shift as they would work in a week and then refusing to pay for it.

Will that happen? Will it hell!!!!

Jane5

I smell porkies already. They said he left the bleep with "his secretary" but he is a junior doctor. NCHDs/junior doctors DON'T HAVE SECRETARIES!! Or offices. Or even secure cloakrooms half the time (having had my stuff stolen several times out of the stupid doctor's res).
I would read this like I do all things concerning doctors in the media-with extreme scepticism.......

Chiparus

i have left my pager on a desk to answer a bleep , and accidentally left it there. Picked it up later.


I suppose its how you define "dumped".

Some people call UCHG a "dump" others "a centre of excellence":rolleyes:

Firing someone because they did not have their mobile phone on them would leave them open to serious accusations of unlawful dismissal.

take everything

Chiparus wrote: »

i have left my pager on a desk to answer a bleep , and accidentally left it there. Picked it up later.


I suppose its how you define "dumped".

I think they're talking about the cardiac bleep. That should never be unattended.
One of the charges though- "failing to take bloods promptly". Thought that was a bit harsh- most overworked SHOs have probably been there at some point or another.
The other charges obviously were more serious but the bloods one was interesting.

mathepac

Chiparus wrote: »

... Firing someone because they did not have their mobile phone on them would leave them open to serious accusations of unlawful dismissal.

Unless of course it was the "on-call mobile" in which case, like the cardiac beeper, it's meant to get passed from person to person.

Chiparus

"The following day, Mr Keane said it was put to Dr Onada that his explanation that he had left his phone at home was insufficient, "we put it to him that he was completely unreliable".

Mr Keane said it was decided that Dr Onada had shown such unreliability that the hospital couldn't rely on him to provide a safe service."

Does not read like the "on-call mobile"

Reads like they could not phone him - therefore he is unreliable? Fire him.

Not having your phone at work makes you liable to be fired??

dissed doc

Save some money by cutting a staff member and then dumping the workload onto the remaining staff.

I wonder will this sort of dumping be picked up by the media.