Bristol doctor told ability to work "impaired" after surgery complaints
A Medical Tribunal has ruled Dr Anthony Dixon committed serious misconduct by failing to adequately treat several women with bowel problems, between 2010 and 2016
A Bristol doctor has been found to have committed serious misconduct and told his ability to work is currently impaired, largely in relation to bowel operations carried out on several woman between 2010 and 2016.
Dr Anthony Dixon, who at the time worked at both Southmead Hospital and the private Spire Hospital in Bristol, was found guilty of various failings during a separate hearing earlier this year, including not obtaining informed consent from patients before carrying out significant operations, conducting rectal examinations without chaperones present and in one case, making an inappropriate comment about a patient's sex life.
Today's ruling came during a hearing from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.
The story
Dr Dixon was sacked by the North Bristol NHS Trust in 2019 after an inquiry by the Trust found more than 200 women were harmed through unnecessary pelvic floor operations carried out between 2007 and 2017.
Many of the women had complained to the Trust that the operations had left them in severe pain, with The Guardian reporting in 2017 that 100 of them were suing Dr Dixon for medical negligence.
A tribunal looking at Dr Dixon's behaviour first began in September last year and was due to last several months.
The full allegations were that between 2010 and 2016 Dr Dixon failed to provide adequate clinical care to six patients in a number of areas:
- Failing to ensure procedures for some of the patients were clinically indicated
- Failing to adequately advice some of the patients regarding options for treatment
- Failing to obtain informed consent before performing clinical procedures
- Failing to adequately perform a procedure for one patients
- Failing to provide adequate post operative care for some of the patients
- Failing to communicate appropriately with some of the patients and their family members
Following that hearing, many of the allegations were found to be proven.
Speaking yesterday during a new Medical Practitioners Tribunal Hearing to decide whether the failings amounted to serious misconduct, on behalf of the General Medical Council (GMC), barrister Chloe Fairley argued several of the findings against Dr Dixon would constitute serious misconduct "in and of themselves", but failing to inform patients of the full risks associated with surgery, in particular with regard to one patient known as patient F was, "particularly significant".
Ms Fairley submitted on behalf of the GMC that performing the pelvic floor operations, which carried with them life changing risks, without informed consent, represented "particularly grave failures". Meanwhile it was also noted that a sexual comment made to a patient's partner during a clinic that he should "go home and fill her up", was unanimously considered inappropriate by a group of medical experts.
In relation to that last point Dr Dixon denied making the comment.
What sanctions should follow today's ruling, will be discussed when the Tribunal reconvenes on Wednesday (17th July).