Daniel Pelka death: Doctor 'fit to practise', panel rules

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-33098413

Version 0 of 1.

A GP who did not act adequately over concerns raised about starved schoolboy Daniel Pelka remains fit to practise, a disciplinary panel has ruled.

Daniel, four, was starved and beaten for months before he died in March 2012 at his Coventry home.

Dr Mohammad Pathan, who denied he was aware of some concerns, was found guilty of misconduct on Wednesday.

The panel will decide on 1 July whether to place a warning on the doctor's registration.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel, sitting in Manchester, heard the deputy head teacher at Daniel's school called Dr Pathan in January 2012 because she was so concerned about the boy.

Gillian Mulhall said she told the GP Daniel had lost weight following the Christmas break and described a "noticeable change" in his appearance.

He was "eating excessively but losing weight" and his skin was "grey and translucent".

'Amounted to misconduct'

Dr Pathan denied Ms Mulhall had discussed Daniel's weight loss and pallor, but the panel found against him.

He did accept that he did not formulate an action plan to ensure that any concerns were followed-up or make an adequate record of the detail of the telephone call in Daniel's records.

"Having considered the evidence, the panel was satisfied that your failings, which it considered relate to fundamental elements of general practice, represented serious departures from acceptable standards of practice and amounted to misconduct," the panel said.

Considering Mr Pathan's fitness to practise, the panel noted that prior to Daniel's death he had worked for 44 years without any concerns raised.

The panel ruled: "Having considered all the evidence before it, the panel has concluded that your fitness to practise is not impaired by reason of misconduct."

Daniel's mother Magdelena Luczak and her partner Mariusz Krezolek were jailed for a minimum of 30 years in 2013.