‘Jesus talk’ GP may be disciplined

Dr Richard Scott, 50, is being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC) over his conduct.

The GMC suggested that an official warning could be placed on his personal file, but Dr Scott wants the complaint dismissed.

The committed Christian believes he acted within medical guidelines during the incident last year and has instructed a human rights lawyer to attempt to clear his name.

He said: “I only discussed my faith at the end of a lengthy medical consultation after exploring the various interventions that the patient had previously tried, and after promising to follow up the patient’s request appointment with other medical professionals.

“I only discussed mutual faith after obtaining the patient’s permission. In our conversation, I said that personally, I had found having faith in Jesus helped me and could help the patient.

“At no time did the patient indicate that they were offended, or that they wanted to stop the discussion.

“If that had been the case, I would have immediately ended the conversation.

“This complaint was brought to the GMC not by the patient, who has continued to be a patient at this practice, but by the patient’s mother.”

Dr Scott works at Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, Kent. A statement on the NHS website says the centre’s six partners are all practising Christians whose “faith guides the way in which they view their work and responsibilities to the patients”.