K & C smear test pathologist to face hearing

- 07 October 2004;Used With Kind Permission of The Kentish Gazette

A Pathologist lost his fight to stop disciplinary proceedings against him. Dr Alexander Gibson, who is alleged to have misdiagnosed a woman as having invasive breast cancer, now faces a full hearing into 23 allegations.

It is claimed he also failed to recognise abnormalities including potentially cancerous cells in four other women's smear test results, and even tried to cover up his error in one case.

Dr Gibson, of Out Elmstead Lane, Barham, failed to prevent a future hearing before the General Medical Council's professional conduct committee sitting in London.

He unsuccessfully claimed abuse of process due to delay and a breach of Human Rights and then applied for voluntary erasure from the list. However, chairman of the committee. Prof James Whitehouse, said that although the committee accepted the submission that Dr Gibson, 67, who retired in 1997, was unlikely to return to work, "the other elements of public interest must be considered".

Prof Whitehouse acknowledged the interests of the complainants were "also a significant factor". He added: "Inquiries have included those by Sir William Wells and another by the Royal College of Pathologists into cervical screening at K&C Hospital, which addressed the systematic failings of the screening programme.

“There has been civil litigation in cases brought by the complainants and liability was admitted by the Trust.”

“There has therefore been no significant public ventilation of the allegations now made against the doctor.”

He went on: "The committee, having carefully considered all the material before them, are satisfied that the interests of the public and the maintenance of the profession are best served by public consideration of this case."

The committee heard a string of 23 allegations, relating to five women's tests between 1990 to 1995 while Dr Gibson was consultant pathologist employed by the Kent and Canterbury Hospital NHS Trust.

Deliberate attempt

Among the allegations, Dr Gibson was said to have wrongly diagnosed a 58-year-old woman with invasive breast cancer; failed to recognise abnormal cells in the cervical smear of one woman; stated there was "no evidence of invasive growth" in the biopsies of another woman when "the biopsy showed an invasive large cell", and failed to recognise, identify and report the appearances and abnormalities of biopsies in a third woman.

Two women have since died. In another case, it is alleged that Dr Gibson's conduct amounted to a deliberate attempt to mislead with the intention of covering up errors in the laboratory for which he bore some responsibility.

A hearing is expected to take place next month.