This article by the Rt Revd Trevor Willmot, Bishop of Dover, was published in the Church Times in June
DO NOT be afraid, but go on speaking and do not
be silent” (Acts 18.9).
Dr Richard Scott
A number of recent judgments that question the
right or appropriateness of Christians’ giving public voice to their faith
bring Jesus’s words to Paul into sharp focus. The ruling last week of the
General Medical Council (GMC) against Richard Scott, a Christian GP, might
lead us to conclude that Christians should be afraid, and must indeed be
silent about their faith.
Dr Scott, a doctor for 28 years and a GP in Margate, Kent, was last week served with an official warning from the GMC for inappropriately discussing his Christian faith during a consultation with a patient. The GP, who is a former medical missionary, has practised in Margate for nearly ten years. He has an unblemished record, and was praised by the GMC for the great esteem in which he is held for the “dedicated care” that he offers to patients. Dr Scott is one of six partners at the Bethesda Medical Centre, an “expressly” Christian practice, which clearly advises patients on its official NHS website that all the partners are practising Christians who feel that the offer of talking to patients about faith “is of great benefit”. The centre’s website explains that patients can choose not to discuss matters of faith, and that this will in no way affect the quality of their medical care.
EVIDENCE given at the four-day hearing suggests
that Dr Scott spent about 20 minutes with Patient A, a suicidal 24-year-old
man, in August 2010. It was only at the end of the consultation, Dr Scott
says, that he asked the patient whether he could discuss his Christian faith,
as he felt “it had something to offer him which would cure him.” After the
patient agreed, Dr Scott maintains that he sensitively discussed faith, and
ceased when the patient asked him to stop.
The quality of the care provided by Dr Scott is
not in question. Orthodox medical treatment was not withheld; the GMC notes
that Dr Scott had previously referred Patient A to the local psychiatric
service, “and therefore a further referral was not required”.
The GMC committee does, however, find that there
was “a direct conflict in recollection” between doctor and patient about
“any medical help or tests or advice” that might have been offered. It
observes that “there is no mention in the notes” of medical treatment, and
“considers that Patient A’s account is more probable”.
Dr Scott did not spend the entire 20-minute
consultation proselytising. Instead of regarding the patient as a biological
specimen, he treated the patient as a whole person who had spiritual and
emotional as well as physical needs. The GP shared his heartfelt conviction
that faith in Jesus could contribute to the patient’s recovery.
Interestingly, there is no blanket ban in GMC
rules on doctors’ expressing personal beliefs, as long as it is done
sensitively and appropriately. It is noted in the GMC statement on Dr Scott
that matters of faith can be relevant to clinical care: “There are
circumstances in which spiritual assistance is valuable,” it reads.
The GMC notes two witnesses who spoke of the help
received after discussions about faith; they were people who found their
lives transformed when they committed themselves to Christ.
The question in this case, therefore, was
whether or not Dr Scott’s offer of spiritual insight to this troubled young
man was appropriate, and in his best interests. Although recollections of
the content of the conversation between Patient A and Dr Scott differ
substantially, the GMC finds that Dr Scott’s actions were “inappropriate and
clinically not in Patient A’s best interest”.
It has ruled that Dr Scott “went beyond the limit
of such spiritual guidance as would have been appropriate . . . which caused
distress to Patient A”.
THE existing GMC “Fitness to Practice Rules”
allow for an expression of religious beliefs, and I believe the GMC has acted
with disproportionate force in applying these rules to Dr Scott.
In the absence of any specific criteria about the
appropriateness or otherwise of matters of faith and its relevance to
clinical care, the GMC now appears to be saying that all but the meekest
faith discussions must be banned from the consulting room. This restriction
of religious expression is surely a concern to society and individuals who
have spiritual, as well as physical, needs.
In an age when society is increasingly seeking
answers to difficult questions, it is disappointing that a highly regarded
Christian doctor is being punished for offering spiritual and pastoral
insight that could help a patient. If we treat people as biological
organisms without spiritual needs, society and individuals will be the
poorer.
I am anxious about the expectations in some
parts of our society that Christians should seek to compartmentalise their
faith. It seems that we are somehow expected to turn off our faith when we
step through the door of our workplace. Will it soon be the case that society
actively disqualifies Christians from the caring and educational professions?
These are professions that, over several centuries, have grown from Christian
communities in this country.
This denial of the Christian expression of
faith, in a country where our Christian heritage is central to our history
and values, is worrying. It is, of course, distressing for us as Christians
who feel called to live out our discipleship 24 hours a day, seven days a
week.
Yet it is even more disturbing for society:
restricting the expression of Christian faith could foster a society that is
even more fragmented — one where the common good is relinquished in favour
of individuals’ rights; and where the fear of upsetting individuals, and
the fear of disciplinary action in the workplace mean that Christians will
cease to challenge society to change and improve.
While this is a risk, I shall not be silent, and
I shall not be afraid to go on speaking.
The Rt Revd Trevor Willmott is the Bishop of
Dover.
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