LONDON – According to Christian Concern UK Christian doctor, Dr Richard Scott, has finally been vindicated after a concerted and targeted attack against him by a secularist campaign group was thrown out by the General Medical Council (GMC). Back in June, the National Secular Society (NSS) registered “concern” with the General Medical Council that the GP was “continuing to pray and promote Christianity during consultations in an attempt to convert patients.”

However, the GMC has ruled that there was no evidence and that Richard had done nothing wrong.

The outcome of Richard’s case, who received support from the Christian Legal Centre, gives reassurance to Christian doctors and professionals across the UK. It also provides guidance on how they can share their faith in the workplace without fear of losing their jobs.

My name is Richard Scott and I’m a GP in Margate on the coast of Kent and I’m a Christian GP and so I share my faith with patients where relevant and where I can. In 2010 I had a General Medical Council case in relation to sharing faith with the patients, which the GMC claims I had harassed a vulnerable whereas my intention was to help someone who was very needy from an angle that hadn’t maybe been approached before.

Unsurprisingly they found me guilty and gave me a five years warning, effectively a yellow card, which then ceased in June 2017. Then in June 2019 this year I heard from the General Medical Council again following a radio interview I did on Radio 4, where I talked about still sharing my faith with patients and praying for patients. Then discovered five months later that some anonymous complainers had complained having listened to my Radio 4 interview they complained to the National Secular Society who in turn clearly didn’t like what they heard.

So I now have two medical organisations regulatory organisations on my case. I wrote to them both stating that in my view this was poor, vexatious, unnecessary and given them a chance to walk away. They declined to do so at that stage. So having sent my information in July and then waited and only heard at the end of November from the GMC that there was actually no case to answer.

And the irritation I feel is we now have a generation of young doctors who are so scared to open their mouths for Jesus in case the National Secular Society, the General Medical Council, NHS England, British Humanist Association complains and would rather they didn’t get a complaint. Because it can be very stressful. So this is the climate we’re now in and we really must stand up against these quite often malignant forces that are not helping our doctors and students and nurses even more so share their faith with people at times when we know it helps. Having had no sanctions applied at all my practice has remained unchanged, to be honest even after my first case. It made no difference to me whatsoever.

In no way did the GMC say you can’t talk to patients about faith, you can’t pray for patients. That was never part of their remit. What they said was that if you have another problem. If you have another complaint, then you’ll be hearing from us again. In this situation I got no warning, no sanctions, no yellow card, no nothing. So I carry on as before, but once again with my eyes open to the climate in which we live. We have to remember each one of us, when we come to the pearly gates who opens the door. It’s not the General Medical Council, it’s not the nursing and midwifery council, it’s not Ofsted, the teachers. It’s not any of these regulatory bodies. They’re behind you in the queue. It’s Jesus Christ.

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