GP’s Covid post ban was ‘error in law’

A JUDGE has ruled that an ‘error of law’ was made in a tribunal decision to order a Denmead doctor accused of spreading misinformation not to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic on social media.

Dr Samuel White appealed against interim registration conditions imposed on his registration by the General Medical Council after complaints about a video he posted to Instagram and Twitter in June.

The footage included Dr White raising concerns about the safety of the Covid-19 vaccine, testing methods and claiming ‘masks do nothing’.

The GMC referred the doctor to its Interim Orders Tribunal to consider restrictions on his practice, and he was made subject to the conditions that he must not share views on the Covid-19 pandemic and ‘its associated aspects’ on social media and must remove existing posts.

At a High Court hearing last month, his barrister Francis Hoar claimed the tribunal had reached a ‘flawed’ decision and had ‘erred’ in 'failing to accord sufficient respect for Dr White’s right to freedom of expression'.

In a judgment released on Friday, Mr Justice Dove ruled the IOT decision was ‘wrong’ from a ‘purely procedural perspective’ when considering human rights law.

A partner at Denmead Practice until his resignation in February, Dr White brought his High Court challenge against the GMC in a bid to quash the restrictions.

At the hearing, the judge was told that in the seven-minute clip Dr White discussed why he could no longer work in his previous roles because of the ‘lies’ around the NHS and government approach to the pandemic, which he said were ‘so vast’ he could no longer ‘stomach or tolerate’ them.

In written arguments, Mr Hoar said Dr White, now a locum GP, had an ‘unblemished career’ with beliefs informed by ‘libertarian principles’.

In August, the tribunal had concluded Dr White’s way of sharing his views ‘may have a real impact on patient safety’.