Fake Doctor Warning Locked

[Latcherie]

Dear All,
I am not usually a whistleblower type, but as a Family Consultant and a trainee doctor myself, I wanted to warn people of an 'error' on Westover Clinics staff list.
I often refer clients on to doctors and therapists who can help them, if we all agree that is what is wanted. I am there to reassure, support, and help in anyway I can but am not (yet) a fully trained medical doctor.
Imagine my surprise when I went to Westover's website to try and get an appointment for a client's baby to be evaluated by a physio and paediatrician and saw 'parental consultant' listed.
I clicked, in case this was a new specialty area, to find the woman concerned works with behavioural and emotional problems in children, also weaning, sleeping etc.
The website said she had 20 yrs experience and lists her as a Consultant Psychiatrist. Judging by her age in the photo, and the list of 'help' issues I was surprised. 'A' that a consultant would tackle weaning, and 'B' that she had reached consultancy level, and had 20 years experience already. It typically takes 15 years training.
Her training school? Barts? George's (mine), UCL? Nope, Norland College. Now, last time I looked, Norland was for nannies, and was not an accredited medical school with an MBBS curriculum. I think my nanny friends who trained there would be surprised too, as well as my medical colleagues.
Obviously I was disturbed by the mistake. Vulnerable clients with families needing help might have been making appointments and attending, assuming she was medically qualified to the highest possible level. Website errors occur, but this is a biggie. Not to mention illegal.
I rang the clinic, to verify credentials, they were unable to help or comment. I rang again, much the same answer, the receptionist did not know, if it was online it must be true ( Along with those flying pig sightings !!!). No manager or supervisor was available to talk.
I emailed the clinic. A reply (hardly prompt) said they would have a look. This was over a month ago.
To date the title of Consultant Psychiatrist is still up online. I gave up trying to resolve the issue directly and without recourse any further. I work with families experiencing problems, minor or major, everyday, and I didn't want anybody to be hurt by advice given out by an untrained person that they might assume was medically validated.
I checked with the GMC, no listing of any medical professional under that name or anything similar. I left it with them.
In the meantime, please be aware, that although she may be unaware of the claim and probably does not have editing rights to the website (but surely she has seen it, who doesn't check out their own work profile and photo on the company website, if only to shudder at their photograph) Kathyrn Mewes is not a Doctor. She may well be a good nanny (although if as claimed, she can sort out a major family issue in one day and a 30 minute phone call or two, she would be a nobel prize nominee and worth the vast sums charged....serious sleep issues nearly always take me 5-7 nights, follow-up visits for support and to answer questions and a phone me anytime policy, in order to resolve them permanently and get parents a good 8 hours sleep!), but she is trained ONLY to be a nanny, no degree. Most definitely NOT a doctor.

[coolmum]

Perhaps you should contact Kathryn Mews direct through her website first than bad mouthing her and naming her on here.

[Latcherie]

Ms Mewes is responsible for her own name and website profile for a company she works with. So would I be, or you for that matter.
It isn't bad-mouthing if it is true, which it is. I was careful not to libel and to say that she is probably an excellent nanny. It is illegal to advertise yourself as a doctor if you are not. Period. Would you want your baby to see a GP who wasn't real or a consultant paediatrician who was fake?
Mewes was emailed, I emailed the clinic, I also rang twice. Nothing was done.
It is an offence and dangerous to make false medical claims.

[Vives09]

As far as I'm aware, the term 'Consultant' is not a protected title. You can be a consultant engineer, a breast feeding consultant, and I imagine a parenting (or parental) consultant. It may just be a slip that she's being called a consultant psychiatrist on the web site, but have you checked that she hasn't at some point qualified in something related?

I can't find anything else on the website claiming that she has been medically trained, and the description of her services mainly focusses on her experience.

I'm afraid you're coming across as someone who has a bee in their bonnet and you don't seem aware that you may be ruining someone's good name for no reason - a month isn't long for action on something which is really so trivial.

I imagine she mentions graduating from the Norland college because it's so prestigious as a college for nannies rather than that she wants to in any way prove a medical background as you suggest.

I have no connection with her by the way, it just seems that what you're saying is a little reactionary.

[elizad]

Slightly ironic that you go by the user name "DrNanny" but are only a trainee Doctor...

Its amazing how names or titles can get confusing and misinterpreted .......

I have to agree with the previous poster that the term consultant can be used for almost any field. She hasn't said she is a medical consultant...

[SoConfused!]

As far as I know you have to be a medically qualified doctor to call yourself a Consultant Psychiatrist....

[Latcherie]

I said I thought it was an error, but as noone at the clinic will fix it, and it is local, I wanted to make people aware before they made an appointment assuming something else (as someone I know did).
Consultants can be anyone, definitely, but psychiatrists need complex medical training. I am sure it is an error, rather than anything else more sinister as the clinic is well known.
I have tried 4 times to get it changed. They are aware and letting it stay so far,which I think is wrong. Surely it would be wrong to condone an advertisement for a professional that is false.
I have no problem with her, her job, or profession. I was a nanny for 14 years before training to be a doctor. Nannies are invaluable, but as professionals are, as everyone else is too, responsible for their own advertisements. Especially when errors have been pointed out, and the errors, technically speaking, cause illegalities or distress.
I have several friends from Norland, an excellent training school, for nannies.
I checked with the General Medical Council before emailing Kathyrn, and the Westover twice. As previously stated, she is probably an excellent nanny but is not medically trained in any field. Mistakes happen, everybody understands that, programming errors assign wrong titles, but we all check our own profiles, and correct, when told. When if told by clients, concerned individuals and other professionals, we still don't do anything....problem.
A month is a long time, IMHO, when all you need to do is spend two minutes editing a website, especially when, as Westover does, you employ people to run it.
A month is a long time to knowingly allow an advert claiming someone is a medical practitioner when they are not, whether their profile claims they are a Consultant Paediatrician, Dentist, Dermatologist or Consultant Psychiatrist. I just think it needs fixing. It would be upsetting to turn up with a serious psychiatric problem and be greeted by a nursery nurse, no matter how lovely.
It wasn't a bee in my bonnet until nothing was done.

[Latcherie]

Slightly ironic that you go by the user name "DrNanny" but are only a trainee Doctor...

Its amazing how names or titles can get confusing and misinterpreted .......

I have to agree with the previous poster that the term consultant can be used for almost any field. She hasn't said she is a medical consultant...

Yes....consultant psychiatrist. Medical. On website.
Does say Norland, but not everyone knows it is a nanny school, so the 20 years experience stated might be mistakenly attributed to the title of Consultant Psychiatrist clearly shown above this statement and beneath her name and sub-title of Parental Consultant.
And by saying DrNanny, claiming nothing more than a tongue in cheek name, and a doctorate. I am not a 'doctor' yet, medically, although I am a qualified Dive Medic. In terms of medicine the Doctor title is actually an honorary one, as no official doctorate is conferred. The actual qualification is MBBS.
It's a handle, not an advert...or coolmum would have to be chilly, madmommyoftwo, cerrtifiably insane, and hotmum, feverish. However, as I am happy to act on information given, and any comment that may make me appear other than I am, even if in error of common understanding etc etc, would be happy to change my own web handle. And I bet I could do it in two minutes...as could anyone else.

[Latcherie]

Ta Daaaaa!

[number28]

It seems a bit rough to shoot the messenger, when someone is alerting the community to a fairly serious issue (assuming all sbeegs research is correct, which I haven't checked).
The term 'Psychiatrist' can only be applied to a qualified medical practitioner who has successfully completed postgraduate training in that specialty area of medicine.
So yes, that means a medical doctor, elizaD.
In this context next to 'psychiatrist', 'consultant' implies someone fully qualified, as opposed to someone still training (a registrar).

[Latcherie]

Thanks number28, was only concerned as obviously vulnerable people could be involved,and kids. Did feel a bit 'jumped on' as everyone rallies around if someone reports even a suspected stranger danger, but seems to defend someone claiming to be a doctor, even if only by unrectified mistake.
Just to reassure, I did check...with the PCT lists, with the individual's background education (there is a book out) and most especially directly on the phone with the General Medical Council, who of course, list every single medical practitioner, private or public, foreign or domestic, working now or who have ever worked in the UK in recent decades.
They checked all spellings of the name, and verify that at no time has the individual had any sort of medical training and is most definitely NOT a doctor. They were very concerned, even when I explained it must be a clerical error, as it is a serious issue, and once told, the clinic and individual should have immediately taken action. It is a breach of the law and the GMC's Fitness to Practice regulations not to do so.
I am 99% sure that it is a web error, but as all parties are aware of it, why not change it?
As soon as a slightly nitpicky poster here pointed out that my nickname, which involved Dr at the front, could be misinterepreted as medical rather than a plain doctorate, I took it down and changed it, within 2 minutes. Annoying, but easy to do. I haven't ever given any medical advice online and never would do, bar, see your GP, and neither am I advertising my services or making any claims....but I still changed it. Even though it was only a name handle on a chat website...hope the nitpicker is satisfied, and thanks again 28.

[dinosaur]

I very much appreciate this warning and can't understand why previous posters don't think this is a big deal. The OP did contact the clinic to clear up the matter but nothing was done, so as far as I'm concerned we need to know about this person operating as a professional in our community without proper credentials.

[FraggleRocks]

Just wanted to add my own confusion - why on earth are some people having a go at the original poster about this?

It is illegal to suggest you are a medical doctor (which is what consultant psychiatrist means, in practice) when you are not. Simples. If you are on a clinical practice website then it is your duty (and the practice manager/ admin as well) to make sure that nothing could be misconstrued. It may not be deliberate, but that is not the point.

[Latcherie]

Thank you, you summed it up really nicely.
At no point did I suggest the original error was deliberate. There has been a deliberate decision not to take it down yet, though, which was my issue, despite repeated asking and repeated checking of credentials to make sure I was right.
I don't undestand either, why folk who are up in arms over dog poo ( me too ) and awful estate agents ( again me too ) are happy enough to defend to the hilt someone knowingly (now) being portrayed as a doctor when the most they have is an NNEB from training over 20 years ago as a nanny (no offence to nannies, I used to be one). So thank you for saying what you did, I was beginning to wonder if my moral compass was completely out of tune with the world!

[JThomas]

I just wanted to add that while it is a serious mistake to make on a website, having used Kathryn's services, she makes absolutely no claims to be medically qualified and I cannot believe anyone who looked at her website or actually met her would mistakenly be under the impression that she is a doctor.

I e-mailed Kathryn to make her aware of this post and she replied to say that this was a mistake on the past of Westover and has now been corrected to 'Parental Consultant'. This requires no medical background. (Ineed, I note the original poster describes themselves as a "Family Consultant")

Kathryn's website is worth a look at http://www.bespokenanny.com and she has just publised a book - The 3 Day Nanny. We were very grateful indeed for her help in getting out 10 month old twins to sleep through the night (all done in 3 days).