final days

The conspiracy was now in full-on mode. I had done my best to please people, but it had not worked. My assistant was now absent from my surgery for ten minutes at a time three or four times a day. Upon realising that she must be keeping a diary, I asked to see it but was refused.

Work had now descended into mortal combat between me and my employer, with the staff working as his army. This was the point at which my manners deteriorated to the extent that I was behaving in the ways with which I was later charged. I was drinking too much and not eating. The staff were now writing down everything I said. Through all of this, my patient throughput only increased. For a lomg time there had been a serious problem with another dentist in the practice and I was dealing with the fallout from this most days. All the dentists were seeing a massive upswing in their complaints and patients were continually transferring between dentists, which had not occurred before.

My last 'normal' day at work consisted of me being the only dentist in the practice, seeing twenty-five patients of mine and five emergencies. All of these patients were desperate to see me and properly dealt with. The staff had stopped speaking to me altogether at this point.

The next day I presented my boss with a diary of my own, which contained an allegation of corrupt practice on the part of one of his staff members. My computer login had been used to write on a patient's records that they were to be transferred to another dentist. This transfer had not been requested by me, the patient nor the other dentist. Though this may not read like a serious matter, it is. It was at this point that the staff got together with a senior dentist and wrote their complaint to the PCT. Although this happened at work while my employer was there, he has maintained that he was unaware that all eight people working in the practice that day, except he and I, spent at least an hour putting this document together. His position that he was unaware of this action is flatly contradicted by the PCTs records and by my own observations at the time.

I was signed off work with stress. I went back to work but was suspended on arrival with no reason given. Another disciplinary meeting was called at which my employer threatened to send all my complaints to the GDC, so I resigned, little knowing that - 1. He had formally complained to the PCT 2. He had referred me to the GDC 3. The PCT had sent the staff and patient complaints to the GDC.