GP is Accused of Giving OAP Pills for Suicide

A DOCTOR has been accused of prescribing tablets to an 87-year- old patient to enable her to take her own life.

Dr Iain Kerr, of Williamwood Medical Centre in Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, appeared before a General Medical Council hearing.

He is accused of giving the woman – who it was said was afraid of becoming a burden on her family – sleeping pills against official guidance.

The woman later died in 2005 of an overdose from different drugs.

A further five cases of inappropriately prescribing patients the same sleeping tablets, which official guidance say should be used only to treat “severe and intractable insomnia”, were also brought before the hearing.

The GMC panel was told a poem written about death by a woman with a terminal illness was displayed in his surgery.

It also heard that Dr Kerr stated, in a staff appraisal, “he had given and would continue to give under the right circumstances (the sleeping tablet) sodium amytal . . . for the purpose of the patient ending their own life.”

The doctor, who is married and lives in Newton Mearns, was interviewed by police but no action was taken.

Concerns were first raised about Dr Kerr after his annual appraisal in 2004, the hearing was told.

Dr Maria Duffy, who conducted the appraisal, confirmed Dr Kerr had spoken of sodium amytal and said he had given the tablets to a patient to end her life, but she had not taken them.

Dr Kerr admits prescribing sodium amytal to patient A with the intention she should be able to end her own life, should she choose to do so.

However, he denies doing this after she told him she was unhappy with her quality of life and that he did not take adequate measures to dissuade her.

He also denies the actions outlined by the GMC were irresponsible and against his patients’ best interests.

The hearing in Manchester continues.

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

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