Barrow Dentist Hopes To Return To Work Soon After Being Banned For 18 Months
A dentist from Barrow has vowed to appeal against a ruling, which resulted in him being banned from practising for 18 months.
George Bell, a popular dentist from Barrow, was banned from working for 18 months by the General Dental Council over concerns about his health and the impact it has on his work. Mr Bell has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism, but he has vowed to fight the ruling and hopes to return to work in the near future.
The General Dental Council offered a private hearing for Mr Bell, but he insisted that the case was made public and the verdict attracted a huge amount of attention in the local community, with patients contacting the local press and setting up Facebook pages to show support for the dentist, who worked at Mint Dental and Cavendish Dental Practice.
Mr Bell’s hearing took place on the 14th of August and the General Dental Council ruled that Mr Bell was currently unfit to practise because he could not provide proof that he did not pose a risk to patients. Mr Bell was accused of making inappropriate comments to patients about his ability to practise and he taking an overdose of insulin after finding out that his car had been clamped while parked at the University of Central Lancashire.
Mr Bell said that he was disappointed with the outcome of the hearing and suggested that the GDC should take into account that Asperger’s Syndrome affects the way people react to social pressures. He has vowed to fight the ruling and said that he hopes to be back at work soon; he also thanked his colleagues and patients for their messages of support.
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