Doctor found guilty of incompetence

The committee heard a series of allegations

An anaesthetist was incompetent and neglectful while treating a boy who died following dental surgery, a disciplinary hearing has found.

The General Medical Council's conduct committee ruled that Dr John Evans-Appiah made errors while giving an anaesthetic to 10-year-old Darren Denholm.

Darren, from Armadale, in West Lothian, was having a tooth removed at Peffermill Dental Surgery in Edinburgh, two years ago.

Dr Evans-Appiah was accused of negligent treatment

Dr Evans-Appiah was also ruled to have been at fault in his treatment of 31-year old Hazel Woolger during the caesarean delivery of her fourth child.

The committee, which upheld the allegations of neglect and incompetence, must now decide whether their findings mean that the doctor, from Leyton, in east London, is guilty of serious professional misconduct.

Speaking afterwards, Darren's mother Isla said: "I've been waiting for two years for this. It's been a long haul. I feel absolutely delighted".

She had told the hearing that her son had been relaxed and happy as he went into the surgery to undergo what appeared to be a routine operation.

Darren was described as "a very fit, healthy and active little boy who was never really ill".

His mother added: "If I'd been told there was even the slightest risk, I wouldn't have done it and Darren would have understood."

The committee heard that doctors were unable to resuscitate Darren, who fell ill during the tooth extraction on 9 October, 1998.

'Hit in the stomach'

It found that Dr Evans-Appiah, who denies serious professional misconduct, failed to ensure sufficient anaesthesia.

He had also failed to take the necessary action when Darren 's heartbeat became irregular and he lapsed into cardiac arrest.

The committee heard that three weeks later he had administered anaesthesia to Mrs Woolger at Maidstone Hospital, in Kent.

He was again accused of failing to anaesthetise her properly and she was left feeling like she had been "hit in the stomach with a sledgehammer" when the delivery began.

Mrs Woolger, from Barming, near Maidstone, said that the caesarean for the birth of her child Billy left her "swearing, screaming and screeching" in pain that she described as "like a scene from a horror film".