A doctor accused of forging a psychological report

A doctor accused of forging a psychological report about her professional skills to save her career was today (FRI) cleared of serious professional misconduct.

Dr Danica Ralevic, 40, said she had been under great personal stress when she handed in a ‘censored version’ of a psychological report written about
her to her health authority employers.

The doctor had edited out unfavourable comments made about her, such as ‘she had her head in the clouds’, was a slow decision maker and unlikely to make
a good manager

The report was ordered at a cost of pnds stlg 1,450 after Dr Ralevic was told she ‘had no future’ on a paid training programme to be a consultant in
public health and ought to consider other options.

Dr Ralevic, on the fourth year of the five-year course, explained that at the time she felt that going to see the psychologist was ‘a blueprint for
her dismissal’ by her Peterborough based employers, the North West Anglia Health Authority.

She had not wanted to give them any information they could use against her to force her off the course which was assessed through interviews as well as
formal exams.

Dr Ralevic told the professional conduct committee of the General Medical Council that at the time of the events, March 1998, she had recently suffered a
miscarriage and was still grieving after her best friend was murdered by a patient.

The doctor stared straight ahead when her acquittal was read out, but said after the hearing:
‘I am relieved that the GMC accepted I did not behave dishonestly.

‘

Dr Ralevic’s actions came to light after a Siamese cat belonging to her supervisor, Dr Celia Duff, spilt a cup of cold coffee on the report at her
home in Milton, Cambridgeshire – leaving it unreadable.

When Dr Duff contacted the report’s author, Annette Forster of Management Dynamics, Guildford, for a replacement she was sent a copy radically
different from that submitted by Dr Ralevic.

Dr Ralevic made an official complaint to the GMC after she heard Dr Duff had get hold of the report, claiming her supervisor had used ‘devious’ means to
do so.

But the GMC cleared Dr Duff of wrongdoing and turned the spotlight on Dr Ralevic instead.

Dr Ralevic, of (45) Mawson Road, Cambridge, was cleared of attempting to deceive the health authority, and attempting to deceive the General Medical council in two letters in 1998 by complaining about Dr Duff.

Ralevic, when she gave evidence said she had suffered a miscarriage in March 1998, and although she was upset she was still determined to keep working in
her chosen field.

In addition she said: ‘My closest colleague from medical school, University College Hospital, was murdered by a former patient.

‘

Professional conduct committee chairman Mrs Mary Clark-Glass told hearing today:’The committee have heard at the time you were under considerable stress in both your professional and private life leading to a clouding of your
judgement.

‘However, your action in submitting the censored version of a report without a covering note to explain that it was a censored version was ill
considered.

‘The committee are satisfied that there was no intent on your part to mislead the Health Authority.

‘The committee are also satisfied that there was no intent on your part to deceive the GMC.

‘

Dr Ralevic, is bringing up a young child and is now training part-time as a lawyer.

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