Hemel Hempstead doctor banned for giving 'flawed' treatment to two children

Dr Jean Monro, chairman of Breakspear Medical in Hemel Hempstead, can no longer work as a doctor following tribunal hearings.

She was found guilty of misconduct in relation to a case involving a five-year-old girl, after a tribunal held in August. She is no longer listed on the register of medics.

Her conduct was assessed by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service at a three-day misconduct hearing. She was also subject to a further tribunal last year, they both examined the advice and treatment she offered to the families of two children.

An investigation was launched into why she had suggested a five-year-old girl used unlicensed medication. A consultant said: “I would not be happy to prescribe these drugs myself,” after reading Dr Monro’s advice to Patient A.

Dr Monro was also criticised by the tribunal for suggesting Patient B, a five-year-old boy at the time, should wear an oxygen facemask for several hours a day.

In its published findings, which can be read in full here, the tribunal said: “The treatment was experimental in nature and of unproven benefit.”

According to the tribunal a medical expert said the practice could have led to the patient suffering physical or psychological harm.

Dr Monro, who did not attend the hearing, was accused of offering ‘flawed’ treatment to Patient A, a five-year-old girl.

Patient A’s family visited the Hemel Hempstead doctor’s clinic after they believed their child had become ill as a result of playing with a mouldy toy duck.

General Medical Council (GMC) barrister, Christopher Hamlet said: “Dr Monro arranged an inherently flawed and inappropriate investigation; and provided inappropriate advice and treatment which was not rooted in scientific or clinical fact and which did not serve the best interests of Patient A.”

However, Dr Monro said in a letter to GMC: “I think that the complete premise of this case is absurd.”

She told the GMC that she believed the patient’s parents had Munchausen syndrome, a psychological condition where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves.

Dr Monro said: "We became increasingly concerned about her demands for strong and inappropriate medication for her daughter and her demands for letters that she wished to use to criticise her daughter’s NHS medical team.”

An allegation that Dr Monro, who first qualified as a medical professional 64 years ago, had failed to conduct proper history taking, examination, diagnosis, investigation, record keeping, prescribing and patient consent was upheld.

Dr Monro was already serving a suspension for a tribunal’s investigation into her treatment of Patient B prior to last month’s banning order. In both cases tribunals found that neither child was harmed as a result of Dr Monro’s conduct.

Dr Monro had informed the tribunal of her retirement in 2021, and while this was considered, she was struck off to remove the chance of her returning to the profession in the future.