A GP appearing before a Medical Council inquiry over her care of a female patient who later died of advanced colon cancer was on Monday found guilty of poor professional performance.
However, a number of the allegations faced by Dr Intan Besri of Dublin 13, were not proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Dr Besri, a general practitioner working as a locum at the College Gate Clinic at Ballymun Road, Glasnevin, Dublin, faced a number of allegations in relation to Breeda Fayne (66), who was seen by the GP on two occasions between February and April 2012.
Ms Fayne, who died of advanced colon cancer two years ago in February 2014, made a complaint to the Medical Council in April 2013. The inquiry, which began last November, was informed on Monday that Dr Besri was willing to admit to six of the factual allegations, and that these allegations constituted poor professional performance.
The allegations Dr Besri admitted to were in relation to her failure to develop an appropriate management plan for Ms Fayne, who came to visit her on February 8, 2012. They also included her failure to make adequate notes regarding that visit, or a visit on April 11, 2012.
On foot of these admissions by Dr Besri, the inquiry committee found that these six allegations were proven as to fact and that, collectively, they amounted to poor professional performance.
Announcing their findings, the committee members offered their condolences to Ms Fayne’s widower and son, who were present at the inquiry. Sanctions will be determined at a later date.
Simon Mills, representing Dr Besri, on Monday requested that the sanctions imposed on Dr Besri be at the lower end of the scale. He pointed out this was an isolated case involving a single patient and while there was ultimately a tragic outcome for Ms Fayne and her family, it was never alleged that any act or omission on the part of Dr Besri led to Ms Fayne’s death.
Since 2012, Dr Besri, who obtained her medical degree from University College Dublin in 2001, has taken a number of steps to develop herself professionally, and has implemented an improved note-taking system, Mr Mills pointed out.
He added that, since the outset of the inquiry, Dr Besri has admitted that her note-taking in relation to Ms Fayne’s visits were not adequate and, ‘having reflected with an open mind’ upon the evidence given by an expert witness to the inquiry in November, admits that she failed to create an adequate management plan for Ms Fayne.
The inquiry previously heard that, in her letter of complaint, dated April 2013, Ms Fayne said she went to visit Dr Besri in February 2012, complaining of pain on her left side. Dr Besri requested an abdominal MRI for Mrs Fayne but, instead, an MRI of the pelvis was performed, for reasons unknown to the inquiry.
In her letter, Mrs Fayne said her pain worsened throughout the year and, in November 2012, she visited another doctor. Some investigations were performed and, in December of that year, she was advised that she had advanced colon cancer.