By Sally Gillen

This is not a trick question: What do you need to do to be stuck off if you're a doctor? I only ask because today it was reported that paeditrician David Southall, who played a central part in the Sally Clark case, is now free to return to child protection work. This is a man who decided, after watching a documentary, that Clark's husband, Steve, had murdered their two sons. He was banned from child protection work for three years  in 2005 and the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence argued that the ruling was "unduly lenient".  

In December 2007 Southall was in the news again. This time he had been found guilty of serious professional misconduct after accusing mum Mandy Morris of drugging and murdering her son. He was described by the GMC as having "deep-seated attitudinal problems".  

I've attended a number of General Social Care Council conduct hearings and I cannot imagine any social worker getting the easy ride that Southall has had they behaved in the same way.

It was once explained to me that doctors spend a long time training for what is a vocational career. In contrast, anybody can become a social worker. For this reason, apparently, doctors who make mistakes should not be treated as harshly. They have spent a long time training and they are special people, after all. I wonder if people whose lives have been irreparably damaged by doctors' unjustified opinions and views feel the same. 

Read the complete post at http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-work-blog/2008/09/by-sally-gillen-this-is.html