Another Doctor

Dr John Adrian Garfoot

Dr John Adrian Garfoot has emerged as another doctor with concerns about the GMC. Adrian graduated from London University in 1975 having attended the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. He comes from a high moral background with a father who is a highly regarded Methodist minister whose whole life has been led by putting the well being and needs of others before himself. Both his sons have been imbued with this.

Adrian was originally a GP in Sevenoaks who became interested in drug addiction because of the success he had had with an addicted patient. Adrian left his comfortable practise because of a genuine concern for the well being of drug addicts in London. First he continued in general practice in east London and later set up a private clinic for the treatment of drug addicts.

Adrian was taken before the Misuse of Drugs Tribunal and exonerated and then pursued by the GMC who struck him off the medical register in 2001.

In 2008 Adrian tried unsuccessfully to be restored to the medical register. He had no representation but coincidentally met the defence barrister who had represented him at the GMC when he was struck off. This barrister offered to help him. Adrian was concerned soon afterwards when he became aware that the GMC were using Draft Determinations to erase doctors.

Adrian wrote to his defence barrister about the Draft Determinations and the barrister replied. What he said in reply came as a complete surprise and caused Adrian to have deep concerns about the conduct of his own defence. He then contacted his own MP Mr Henry Bellingham MP.

On 16 March 2009 Mr Bellingham spoke at an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on the matter of Dr Garfoot and also asked searching questions of the then Health Minister, Ben Bradshaw, about the GMC’s use of Draft Determinations in the cases of Colman and Hickey.

What Adrian’s defence barrister told him remains a matter of sub-judice at the moment.

To be continued