There have been some recent social media comments regarding a Daily Mail story published in 2018 about Dr Richard Dean attending a medical practitioners’ tribunal that year. This was fully disclosed to and discussed between Dr Dean and Green Party officials before he was selected as our candidate.
In 2017, at the time of the incident, Dr Dean was closely involved with helping refugees in Bristol. A patient came to see him and during their consultation, they briefly talked about his work with refugees. After the consultation, Dr Dean texted the patient to ask if she might be interested in helping female African refugees in Bristol. This contact was referred to the General Medical Council by the senior partner at the practice.
At the tribunal, Dr Dean acknowledged that he breached professional boundary standards by contacting the patient – and he subsequently attended a course to firm up his knowledge of these guidelines.
The Tribunal concluded that Dr Dean’s conduct “was remediable, has been remedied and is unlikely to be repeated”. The Tribunal was “particularly impressed with the positive testimonials from clinical colleagues”.
It said that Dr Dean’s misconduct was “at the lower end of the scale of misconduct… there is no suggestion… that his actions were … anything other than well-intentioned”.
It referred to his “exemplary humanitarian work” and his “excellent testimonials”.
It concluded: “The Tribunal has therefore determined that, in the particular circumstances of this case, Dr Dean’s fitness to practise is not impaired.”
He was free to continue working as a GP, which he has continued to do locally.
Dr Dean is kind, compassionate, enthusiastic and committed to serving the local community. He has the Green Party’s full support, and we believe that he will be the best person to represent the Dursley Division as their county councillor.