‘You make me feel like a child with ice cream, doctor told his patient’
A LEADING kidney doctor became infatuated with a woman patient and told her she was ‘sexy’ in a series of flirty phone calls, confessing: ‘You got under my skin,’ a tribunal heard.
Professor Iain Macdougall, 60, who is internationally renowned for his research into chronic kidney disease, even allegedly asked the woman, who was battling alcohol problems, out for a drink.
In the calls, the married consultant admitted: ‘I am like a child liking ice cream and chocolate at the same time.’ A hearing of the Medical Practitioners
dougall, who has been married to Tribunal Service in Manchester was told that after an his second wife for 14 years, said: appointment with the woman, ‘I fancied you, I’m going to be honest, known as patient A, in June 2016, I was infatuated by you. I Macdougall called her three times would like to see you.’ over three days and left two voicemails, Patient A said: ‘I don’t want to totalling 65 minutes. be involved with anybody ... I
She was left in tears by the calls want to detox. I don’t want to and reported Macdougall – who is drink any more. You just took professor of clinical nephrology at your doctor hat off. I don’t go in King’s College Hospital in London any pubs, I do not want to see – to his colleagues. you. What have you done?’
The tribunal heard that the The woman hung up but he woman died soon after, but there called her straight back. She was no suggestion Macdougall’s accused Macdougall of abusing actions contributed to her death. his position because she was
Rebecca Vanstone, representing ‘really vulnerable’. the GMC, said patient A confided He apologised but added: ‘If I in a neighbour, who agreed to was single and you were single, I record the calls. would have asked you out on a
Macdougall held his head in his date and we would go for dinner in hands as the tapes were played to a fantasy world. I fancied you, I the panel. In one exchange, Mac- liked you. You attract doctors, you should take it as a massive compliment that you attract doctors.’
Later in the same call Macdougall insisted he wanted to help the woman. But she replied: ‘ I’m in detox and I’m shaking. I want to get well. If you knew anything about alcoholism, you would know how hard it is. I don’t get into relationships, I don’t want to.’
In other calls, Macdougall told the woman ‘ you kind of slightly got under my skin’.
Miss Vanstone said the calls were ‘inappropriate’. The lawyer said: ‘Macdougall had previously told her he thought she was sexy and said, “I can’t help thinking things”.
Patient A reported Macdougall on July 1, 2016. Some weeks after that, she died. Miss Vanstone said: ‘The GMC do not say his actions contributed to or caused in any way patient A’s death. But the tribunal must consider the doctorpatient status.’
The doctor was recognised in 2016 by the Royal College of Physicians and National Institute for Health Research for his ‘ outstanding research leadership in the NHS’.
He admitted making the calls. ‘I was desperately trying to keep her OK,’ he said. ‘I enjoyed that conversation, I felt I had a benefit from it and I thought she felt a benefit from it, but I do not accept those comments were sexually motivated.
‘The comments I made were because I cared about her. They were banter, they had no meaning behind them, I didn’t want a sexual relationship. I stupidly thought bantering with her would help her. I’m very sorry.’
The hearing continues.