Doctor misled medics over Ebola diagnosis
A doctor has admitted misleading other medics after concealing nurse Pauline Cafferkey’s raised temperature hours before she fell seriously ill with Ebola.
Dr Hannah Ryan took the temperature of the Scottish nurse as they waited to go through Ebola virus screening at Heathrow Airport, medical watchdogs heard.
They had been working in Sierra Leone as part of a team of UK medics helping treat victims of the deadly virus which killed thousands in west Africa in 2014.
But after flying home for Christmas, Dr Ryan took Ms Cafferkey's temperature which was 38.2 centigrade - above the 37.5 centigrade threshold which is a warning sign for Ebola, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal was told.
Dr Ryan was in a state of "disbelief, fear and panic" at the raised reading and instead of alerting Public Health England (PHE) medics at Heathrow, she recorded a lower temperature of 37.2. This allowed Miss Cafferkey to catch her connecting flight to Glasgow to go home.
She fell seriously ill the next day and tested positive for Ebola.
Dr Ryan has admitted misleading others and "acquiesced" in the wrong temperature being given, but denies misconduct by her actions at the airport and during a subsequent investigation by Public Health England.
Fraser Coxhill, representing the General Medical Council, said that when the pair returned to the UK the Ebola screening area at Heathrow was "crowded, noisy and chaotic".
The Tribunal heard that some medics were worried they would miss connecting flights to Glasgow due to delays in the screening process. Trying to help PHE staff with the process, they agreed to take and record their own temperatures.
The two medics and another nurse with them, Donna Wood, discussed the reading, "during which someone said, 'Let's get out of here'," Mr Coxhill told the tribunal.
Ms Cafferkey's temperature was then recorded as 37.2C, the form was passed to PHE staff and the medics went on their way.
Mr Coxhill continued: "Whilst there is no doubt that Dr Ryan is a practitioner of hitherto unblemished character who undertook important selfless work in Sierra Leone, it is submitted that the events of 28th December 2014 and 2nd January 2015 appear to demonstrate someone whose first instinct is to mislead and be dishonest."
The tribunal was adjourned until Tuesday morning.
