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Spalding’s Munro Medical Centre GP Dr Graham Wheatley found to have acted inappropriately towards woman at social event




A town doctor has been suspended after a medical tribunal found he had acted inappropriately – but he has vowed to appeal against the decision, branding the matter ‘malicious’.

Dr Graham Wheatley, who is a GP partner at Munro Medical Centre in Spalding, was found to have touched a woman’s waist and bottom after drinking during a social event in November 2021, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service ruled. Two other allegations were dismissed.

He has been suspended for six weeks after the tribunal determined that Dr Wheatley’s fitness to practice is ‘impaired by reason of misconduct to maintain public confidence and to promote proper professional standards and conduct’.

Dr Graham Wheatley, a GP Partner at Munro Medical Centre in Spalding
Dr Graham Wheatley, a GP Partner at Munro Medical Centre in Spalding

Dr Wheatley said he was disappointed by the decision.

He said: “This is a malicious complaint about an incident that should clearly have been seen as an accident and which was dismissed by a previous investigation. The main witness has varied her account, the most recent one being remarkable in that every statement she made was contradicted by every other witness.

“We’re very disappointed that the tribunal, while they dismissed two other allegations, did not recognise this, and will seek to overturn this on appeal.”

The tribunal was told that the incidents had taken place during and after a dinner in the officers’ mess at a Triservice Trainers Conference on November 9.

A public record of the tribunal’s findings states that Dr Wheatley and the woman, who has not been identified, were ‘occasional work colleagues at best’.

The tribunal found proved:

- Dr Wheatley put his arm around the woman’s waist on more than one occasion

- Placed his hand on the woman’s bottom on more than one occasion.

It also found that his conduct was sexually motivated and amounted to sexual harassment.

In her submissions, Counsel Chloe Fairley, representative for the General Medical Council, stated that a colleague was entitled to ‘feel safe in a work related environment’.

She also submitted that while Dr Wheatley was ‘intoxicated’, it did not excuse his behaviour. She added that he had undertaken appropriate courses and modified his approach to alcohol consumption.

A tribunal service report stated: “Ms Fairley reminded the tribunal of Dr Wheatley’s counter-complaint made in response to Ms A and submitted that this was not a ‘heat of the moment’ response, but a considered one.”

Kevin McCartney, who represented Dr Wheatley, stated that his client had ‘properly applied himself’ after the incident and had undertaken a number of courses.

The report stated: “Mr McCartney submitted that Dr Wheatley readily recognised the gravity of his conduct and had demonstrated this through his reflective statements and his completion of courses. He argued that there was no risk of repetition of his conduct.”

He also highlighted that Dr Wheatley’s behaviour arose at a social situation.

The report stated: “Taking all these elements into account, the tribunal was satisfied that imposing a period of six weeks’ suspension was appropriate and proportionate.

“In the tribunal’s view this would be sufficient to satisfy the need to promote and maintain public confidence and to send out a clear message to the profession that this type of conduct is unacceptable, in order to maintain proper professional standards. A reasonable and well-informed member of the public or the profession would be satisfied that this was a proportionate response to Dr Wheatley’s behaviour.”



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