ABSTRACT
Richard Neale was a UK graduate gynaecologist with dual Canadian and British nationality. He qualified in London in 1970 and obtained full registration with the GMC in 1971. He was admitted as a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in July 1975. He worked as a GP in the UK between 1972 and 1974 and then mainly in Canada, having emigrated there in 1977. He obtained a certificate in obstetrics and gynaecology from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1978 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (in the Division of Surgery) in the same year. In 1978, he undertook a high-risk operation, against the advice of a more senior colleague, and the patient died. As a result of this he lost his hospital privileges and was required to retrain or cease practice. In 1981, he was practising in Ontario, Canada, when another patient died following treatment. In June 1982, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) began an investigation into Neale. In June 1985, the Discipline Committee of the College found Neale guilty of incompetence, having displayed ‘a lack of knowledge, skill or judgment or disregard for the welfare of the patient of a nature or to an extent that demonstrates he is unfit to continue in practice’. The professional misconduct was said to be of a most serious nature and Neale’s name was erased from the Canadian medical register. An application in 1987 for readmission was unsuccessful.
