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ROBERT GILL WYLLIE
DR R. G. WYLLIE
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE AND MEDICAL BENEFIT
OFFICIAL INQUIRY AT NEWBURY
On Thursday afternoon an official inquiry was held at the Technical Institute, on the representation of the Berkshire County Insurance Committee, as to the continuance on the panel of Dr. R.G. Wyllie, of Newbury, for the treatment of patients under the National Health Insurance (Medical Benefit) Regulations. The Court was presided over by Mr. Fisher Williams (Barrister), the other members being Dr. Flemming and Dr. Lyndon, with Mr. McGowen as clerk. The County Insurance Committee was represented by the clerk (Mr. S.W. Midgley), and Dr. Wylie was present.
There were also present Mr. C. B. Jeafferson (district inspector for the Insurance Act Commissioners), Dr. N.H. Joy, Messrs F.H. Stillman, W.H. Paine, and D. Geater (members of the Berks County Insurance Committee). The only members of the public present were the witnesses called.
In opening the case, Mr. Midgley informed the court that for a long time Dr. Wyllie had occasioned the County Insurance Committee much anxiety by reason of his failure to attend patients. There were two cases it was desired to bring forward in proof of this. The first was that of a girl named Amelia Williams, who was taken ill on March 17'1913. She was on Dr. Wyllie's panel list. He was asked no fewer than seventeen times to attend her, but only on the eighteenth did he put in an appearance, the girl dying two days after his first visit. The second case occurred in November of last year, when a man named Foster, having met with a bicycle accident, was taken to the district hospital, but only detained for a short time. He was on Dr. Wyllie's panel, but although he promised to call and see him, after two requests, he never did so. In both cases the patients were too ill to attend at the surgery. It would be stated that in March, 1913, and again in November last year, Dr. Wyllie was not in a fit condition to attend patients, being the worse for drink on both occasions. When written to by the committee, Dr. Wyllie invariably ignored the letters, and the committee felt the time had arrived when inquiry should be made if he was a fit person to be on the Insurance Act panel.
Mrs Ruth Williams was then called, and giving evidence on oath, said she was the mother of Amelia Melita Williams, deceased. Her daughter was on Dr. Wyllie's list of Insurance Act patients. On March 17th, 1913, her daughter, who had been a dry cleaner at a laundry, and was seventeen years old at that time, came home ill. As she did not improve, she (witness) went to Dr. Wyllie's house two evenings later. He was not in, she was told by his daughter, but a message was left for him to call, but he did not do so. She went again the next morning, and left word with the servant. On the Sunday she went again twice, and again on the morning of Easter Monday, and twice again during that day, but could not get to see Dr. Wyllie. She then consulted the insurance agent who told her to go and demand his attendance. She called there at about half-past nine at night, but was then told that the doctor was in London. She went again on the Tuesday, and Dr Wyllie, who was then at home, said he would call and see her daughter. He gave her a certificate, filling it in that the girl was suffering from anaemia. He was the worse for drink when she saw him. The illness ended fatally on the Thursday after Easter. Dr. Wyllie only attending her daughter from the previous Tuesday. She thought the cause of death was brain fever. The nurses who has attended the deceased had no questions to ask, this case having already been thrashed out at Reading: but the insinuation that there were seventeen calls was absolutely ridiculous.
In reply to the President, Mrs. Williams said that no other medical man was called in. When Dr. Wyllie saw her daughter at her home she was sitting in a chair supported by herself and a neighbour. Dr. Wyllie sat down, and looked at her. He appeared to be the worse for drink, his eyes wandering about the room. He did not say anything at all in the house, but spoke to her husband outside. He came again on the Wednesday, and twice on Thursday. He was not fit on the last occasion, and witness's sister, who was present, said she would not have him in the house. She died screaming vengeance on Dr. Wyllie.
In reply to other questions from Dr. Fleming and Lyndon, Mrs. Williams said her daughter had previously had two attacks of rheumatic fever. In her last illness she was very feverish, and had to be wrapped in cotton wool and flannel.
Walter William Foster was then examined. He said he was a member of the Oddfellows and until the beginning of this year was on Dr. Wyllie's panel. On November 3rd, 1916 he was suddenly taken ill while riding his bicycle at night in the Market Place. He fell from his machine, and did not remember anything until he found himself in The Catherine Wheel yard when he came round, but fainted again, and awoke to find himself in the hospital. He remembered his wife bathing his head with a lotion the following morning. Dr Wyllie had no questions to ask. He thought that his was a simple bicycle accident, and was told that another doctor had been called in. Mrs. Foster said that her husband was brought home in a motor car by the police from the hospital about 11.30 on the night of November 3rd. Next morning she saw Dr. Wyllie and after telling him what had happened he gave her a lotion and said he would call later in the day, but did not do so. On the following day witness sent for another doctor.
Arthur John Fisher, a friend of Foster, said that at Mrs Foster's request he went to Dr. Wyllie to ask him to see Foster. This was between half-past six and seven o'clock in the evening. He was told by the lad that the doctor was out, but he came in a few minutes later. He appeared to have forgotten the case, and was the worse for drink. He said he felt bad himself, and had pleurisy, but he could march, and marched round the table. Witness could not make "head or tail" of the doctor. Foster was ill for nine weeks from pneumonia. Mr. Midgley then gave evidence himself, and said that in January, 1915, the County Insurance Committee decided to deduct a sum of £10. 8s. 6d. from Dr. Wyllie's dues, because of his failure to attend another patient. This was done but there was no protest from him. In another instance, in April of the same year, a patient was allowed to transfer from Dr. Wyllie, but the deduction in this case had not yet been made, an account of the other doctor had not yet been received. This doctor was communicated to Dr. Wyllie, but brought no reply. Dr Wyllie now stated that he had received the letters. Continuing, Mr. Midgley stated that on April 1' Dr. Wyllie's panel numbered 1,403 and , at the request of the court, he gave the figures for the past four years, as follows; - in 1913 an average of 1,748; 1914, 1,711; 1915, 1,682; 1916, 1,501; and on January 1St 1,413. He agreed that the majority of the deductions were due to men having joined the Army. Dr. Wyllie had been in practice in this district for many years.
This concluded the case for the Insurance Committee.
Dr Wyllie giving evidence on oath, said that in reference to the first of the two cases- that of Williams — it had already been thrashed out, and why, he asked, was it now resurrected? He denied having received the 17 messages, but admitted that he forgot the only one given to him, that on Easter Bank Holiday. On that day he went to London on his motor bicycle, and on his return on the following day (Tuesday) he saw the girl in the afternoon, when he was certainly sober. He had not attended the girl before, and did not know the family. There had never been a suggestion from a patient, or the Insurance Committee that he had ever been the worse for drink, and he could not suggest any reason for Mrs. Williams saying that he was. He was sober when he saw Fisher.
Questioned as to the allegations of insobriety, Dr Wyllie said he had kept the matter to himself, but for three years past he had feared that he had epilepsy, fits of which caused him to be stupefied; and he had dosed himself with bromides. He grew suspicious, and feared his illness was something worse, thinking it to be kidney trouble. He cut off meat and eggs from his diet, and for the past six or eight months had practically lived on milk. He had cut down beer and spirits to one-tenth, and the albumen in the urine was now all gone. Now, comparatively speaking, he was a teetotaller. In regard to the girl's illness, he at first suspected spotted fever, but was later convinced that it was a case of acute meningitis, and not rheumatic fever. He agreed that he saw Fisher when he called about Foster, but did not keep his promise to visit him, as he had one of those peculiar fits, which only lasted for a few minutes, but stunned him for hours afterwards, and took away his memory. He heard the next day that another doctor had been called in in this case. He had consulted a medical man in London about his own case, but had not asked him to come there that day. Cross-examined by Mr. Midgley, Dr. Wyllie said it was possible that messages were left for him, but not given to him. A slate was provided for those messages, and he had two daughters at home, and also a maid and a boy, who were supposed to write them down. On Easter Tuesday he had one of the fits, from which he had suffered for six years. He remembered seeing Fisher and Mrs. Foster, and telling them both he would call; but he did not go, as he was ill himself, in addition to which he did not think it was a serious case. He denied ever having told Fisher that he suffered with pleurisy and Fisher might have confused this with the word epilepsy owing to his (Dr. Wyllie's) Scotch accent.
In reply to the court, Dr. Wyllie said the epileptic seizures occurred about once a month, until last year, when they were more frequent: and he became frightened, being checked in his work, and prevented from attending his patients. He agreed it was desirable he should obtain assistance under the circumstances, and had done so, Dr. Simmons and another doctor helping him. It was pointed out to him that with a panel of from 1,400 to 1,700 patients, it was very necessary to have help, as if he was incapacitated for half a day the consequences might be serious. Dr. Wyllie replied that he had arranged with three other doctors to take his cases if he should be out or ill. In addition to his own patients, he had 22 per cent of the work of other doctors. He did not wish to let everyone know he was ill, wanting to keep it to himself and he hoped with care to get well again. He worked hard, beginning at nine in the morning and being lucky to get the surgery clear by twelve; then again from two to four o'clock; and again from seven to nine at night, apart from night work. Never since the war broke out had he accepted a transfer, although there were only four doctors in the town. In regard to the deductions mentioned by Mr. Midgley, he could do nothing, and did not appeal. With only four doctors in the town, he could not go to see patients so frequently as in normal times. He now felt fit and well, and had done all this year. He had an assistant for a month, and had spent a real holiday indoors.
Mr.Midgley said in regard to Williams' case, it was altogether inconceivable that none of the messages reached Dr. Wylie and it revealed a deplorable lack of arrangement, while ha had given a certificate when not in a fit state. In Foster's case it had been clearly shown that Dr. Wyllie failed to attend when twice requested to do so; and that he was not in a fit condition when Fisher called upon him, having difficulty in recalling the case. The plea of illness had not been substantiated. Over work could not be an answer to neglect, and the state of affairs was not peculiar to Dr. Wyllie. Although some doctors had been taken away, their lists had also been reduced. He had admitted that he had not made any intimation to the Insurance Committee, who felt they had no alternative but to call for that inquiry. This closed the proceedings, the President intimating that a report would be sent to the Insurance Committee and the Press.
Reading Mercury 21 April 1917
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ROBERT GILL WYLLIE
COMPLAINT AGAINST A DOCTOR
REMOVAL FROM THE PANEL
On April 19th last an Inquiry Committee appointed by the National Health Insurance Committee investigated at Newbury a complaint made by the Berkshire County Committee as to the conduct of Dr. Gill Wyllie and his fitness to continue on the panel list. The proceedings were reported at great length in this paper at the time, and the President intimated that the decision of the Commissioners would be communicated in due course. The following letter has now been received:-
"I am directed by the National Health Insurance Commission (England) to advert to the inquiry held at Newbury on the 19th April 1917, with regard to Dr. Gill Wyllie, M.B., C.M., of 92 Northbrook Street, Newbury, and to inform you that, upon consideration of the report of the Inquiry Committee, they are satisfied that his continuance on the medical list of the Berkshire Insurance Committee would be prejudicial to the efficiency of the medical service of the insured.
"They have, accordingly, in the pursuance of the Provisions of the National Insurance Act, 1911, and of the regulations made thereunder, decided to remove the doctor from the panel as from the 8th proximo.
I am, Sir, Your obedient servant,
J.E. VIVIAN
Reading Mercury Saturday 2 June 1917 |
