A doctor offering an online clinic for transgender patients has won a High Court appeal after she was suspended from working.
Dr. Helen Webberley, who worked as a GP in south Wales, will be allowed to work again after the court ordered the General Medical Council to end their six-year case against the founder of GenderGP, an online service which provided gender affirming healthcare services to the transgender community.
The practice was investigated by the General Medical Council with Dr Webberley accused of ‘failing to provide good clinical care’ to three transgender patients in 2016. As part of GenderGP, the GP had prescribed hormones and ‘puberty blockers’ to children as young as 12 - many of whom had been previously denied treatment via the NHS.
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Ahead of a 2021 tribunal in Manchester, Dr Webberley told the M.E.N: “Don’t pass judgement until you’ve spoken to these people who are begging for us to stop their puberty because you will be converted. You will realise that they do know what they’re talking about.”
Dr Webberley was suspended from the UK medical register for two months after she was found guilty of committing serious misconduct by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel in June 2022. The GP had been accused of failing ‘to provide good clinical care’ to one patient, and failed to inform them of ‘the risks before commencing treatment with puberty blockers’.
After being suspended, Dr Webberley appealed the decision with the High Court today (March 31) ruling in her favour. A ‘Determination of the Facts’ of the MPTS’ 2022 tribunal identified her work as being “at the vanguard of this evolving approach to transgender care”.
Presiding High Court Justice Jay said the medical panel had been dealing with a 'case of the utmost complexity and sensitivity', but added that the appeal 'must be allowed on the ground that the [panel's] determination on the issue of misconduct was wrong'.
In a written judgement, Justice Jay said: "The MPT's thinking was confused, clearly wrong in places, and it omitted reference to important evidence. Overall, I do consider that it would be disproportionate, if not oppressive, to put the Appellant through further significant delays and another hearing."
Justice Jay provided a further damning assessment by adding: “The Appellant [Dr. Webberley] is not to be blamed for the quality of the MPT’s [sic] determinations and its failure to wrestle with these admittedly complex issues in the correct manner.”
Dr Webberley said of the High Court ruling: "Today's result could not be further from the GMC's initial intention to strike me off the medical register" said Dr. Webberley following today’s result. "We can confidently say that our model of care has been thoroughly examined and found to be the right care."
After six years of investigation, the GP says she is now looking forward to returning to work as a doctor. She said she hoped the ‘positive outcome’ would highlight the need to advance gender-affirming healthcare in not just the UK, but around the world.
“If I, as just one GP, can do this then we can raise the bar for gender-affirming healthcare around the world,” she explained. “Other doctors can deliver life-affirming and life-saving care to their patients too.
“If you want to better understand how to support your trans patients, GenderGP is here to share our knowledge and to help.”
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