Thread by @ShahrarAli

Negative campaigns come and go, right? I'm responding again, round two of something started as a Young Greens motion supported by "93%" (21 members) & ended up with member trying to get extra ammunition from GMC, who have now weighed in for me: electshahrar.co.uk/shahrar-ali-su…

Also available as pdf shahrar-ali.squarespace.com/s/Shahrar-Ali-… Summary here: Recently a Party member wrote to the GMC in an attempt to undermine the position I took in a statement of 19 July 2021, about maintaining professional boundaries in patient care settings.

I distinguished between the expression of general solidarity with LGBTIQ+ community through wearing of a rainbow lanyard, say, and sharing of personal data about one’s own sexuality in a patient-care setting (also to express solidarity).

It is these last two circumstances (personal data + patient setting) around which greater sensitivity may be required that can make a difference to the appropriateness of the gesture.

Mindfulness of this boundary is always an important professional consideration for a clinician, notwithstanding their right to be able to bring their whole self to work and to be supported in that by their employer.

People can reasonably differ on where a threshold of sharing personal data in such a context lies but I do not think it can be denied that such a threshold exists and that this is supported by guidance from key regulators in the medical profession.

GMC now: "We expect doctors to use their judgment to take view on what may be appropriate in particular setting, taking account of their responsibilities to provide a good quality of care for patients, consistent with standards set out in our guidance & relevant local policies."

GMC: "We absolutely accept that there may be disagreement about extent to which it is helpful for staff within different healthcare settings to publicly share personal information about themselves with general population of service users or in interactions with individuals."

GMC: "Individual doctors may weigh different factors in different ways when they make decisions about this, and it is not our view that discussion or exploration of these issues is inappropriate." (GMC full statement in links.)

Finally, I've been on receiving end of unprecedented level of abuse & double standards. I will continue to speak my mind on matters of importance to party & politics, not bullied into submission.
Thank you supporters, ERO & others. 💚 Truth is my weapon of choice. #RealityCheck