Dr David Sellu will draw on his own experience of NHS disciplinary procedures to examine how injustice can undermine doctors and damage patient care at the joint DAUK/Doctors for the NHS conference (DFTNHS).
A surgeon, author and equality advocate, Dr Sellu will speak on Misuse of disciplinary procedures and injustice in the NHS.
Dr Sellu was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter in 2013 after a patient died under his care.
He served 15 months in prison before his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in 2016 following a successful appeal led by DAUK’s former chair Dr Jenny Vaughan.
He speaks publicly about his experiences and has charted them in his book Did He Save Lives? A Surgeon’s Story.
In his second book UK Healthcare Is In Crisis: Reform must also address poor culture Dr Sellu describes the lessons from his case and from others where people have been held to account when things have gone wrong and scant attention paid to fixing broken systems.
The central message of his Paul Noone Memorial Lecture will be that unfair disciplinary procedures do not just harm doctors and their families but can also have serious consequences for their patients.
The conference takes place at Bedern Hall, York, on Saturday 10 October. Book your place now.
Dr Sellu said: “I’ve been at the receiving end of disciplinary procedures, and I’ve seen how destructive they can be, not just on the individual but also on the wider practice,” he said.
“When you’re going through injustice and when you’re going through bad disciplinary procedures, you’re obviously not practising at your best. And ultimately that does impact on patient care.
Patient safety
“Patient safety is really what matters in healthcare. That’s the reason we’re all there.”
Dr Sellu will also reflect on the life and legacy of Paul Noone, who founded the National Health Service Consultants Association, a forerunner of the DFTNHS.
In preparation, he spoke to Dr Noone’s wife, Dr Malila Noone, a retired consultant microbiologist, to learn more about the man behind the campaigning.
Dr Sellu said the conversation gave him a deeper understanding of Dr Noone’s personal values and his determination to stand up for others.
Doctors For The NHS
“Paul was a very private man, and yet he had a very public side to his life, which was all devoted to looking after and setting up Doctors for the NHS,” Dr Sellu said.
“He cared very much about his family, he cared about his wife, he cared about his work, but he cared about the wider community in which he practised.”
Dr Sellu said Dr Noone’s commitment to patient safety and his concern for people facing injustice made his legacy particularly relevant to the themes of the lecture.
He also highlighted Dr Noone’s support for people from ethnic minority backgrounds and his willingness to challenge the mistreatment of those vulnerable to injustice in healthcare.
Champion of the people
“He was very much a champion of the people who are trampled upon in healthcare,” he said.
The conference It takes place on Saturday 10 October at Bedern Hall in York. In-person attendance is £50 per delegate limited to 50 places. Book your place now.
The conference will also be streamed live to enable colleagues to participate remotely. Online attendance is £10 and places are available to book now.
Conference speakers
Running order, which is subject to change:
10.00 am – Registration for a 10.30 am start. Tea and coffee available
10.30 am – Opening welcome from the chairs of DAUK and DFNHS
11.00 am – Dr Louella Vaughan – Equality in the NHS
Followed by questions.
12.00 pm – Dr Alison George (DAUK) and Dr David Zigmond (DFNHS) – The problems facing general practice
Followed by questions.
1.00 pm – Lunch
2.00 pm – Dr David Nicholls (DAUK) – The role and dangers of Palantir in the NHS
Followed by questions.
3.00 pm – Mark Thompson (Sky News’s specialist health producer) – The NHS in crisis – and how the media responds
Followed by questions
4.00 pm – Tea and coffee break
4.30 pm – The Paul Noone Memorial Lecture
Delivered by Dr David Sellu – Misuse of disciplinary procedures and injustice in the NHS
Followed by questions.
5.30 pm – Chairs’ closing remarks
6.00 pm – Close of conference
6.30 pm – Evening meal (booked separately)
Attendance and booking Information
- In-person attendance: £50 per delegate (limited to 50 places). Book your place now.
- Online attendance: £25 with full interactive access.
- Lunch and tea and coffees.
- An optional evening meal will be available to book separately.
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