The parents of Lisa Norris labelled the verdict on the doctor who burned their daughter with radiation therapy a "travesty". Lisa's anguished parents, Ken, 53, and Liz, 52, who attended yesterday's Conduct and Competence hearing, vowed to sue the health board responsible branding yesterday's hearing a "whitewash".
Dr Stuart McNee, who was not present at the hearing, bungled treatment plans which saw tragic Lisa 16, from Girvan, Ayrshire, receive 58 per cent more radiation than she should have had, leaving her with burns to her neck and head and unable to continue the life-saving course. She was blasted with 19 massive overdoses of radiation while being treated for a brain tumour.
But despite all misconduct charges being proven against him, the Health Professions Council ruled he could continue working. Delivering their controversial decision, the panel's chairman Colin Allies said that while all allegations of a lack of competence had been proven, it was their opinion that Dr McNee was still fit to practice.
Dad Ken said: "I'm very disappointed that a man can do what he did and walk away from it. I was expecting him to at least get reprimanded for it. I expected him to be here so we could come face to face with him."
"No-one has taken responsibility for overdosing Lisa and as far as I'm concerned they have just white-washed it.
It doesn't matter that he had a good, impeccable record. What he did he shouldn't have done. It's a travesty. We will still continue our fight against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde."
The panel said Dr McNee had been responsible for planning the botched course of radiotherapy, but said his biggest failing had been not speaking out over staffing pressures in his department. This had led to his failure to ensure that standing operating procedures were up to date or even followed, or to make sure that systems were in place to ensure his trainee practitioners were supported.
Dr Allies said: "We are confident the Registrant has learned from his mistakes and would act differently in similar circumstances today. "We took into consideration the lack of staff and a lack of support from senior management."
