Hickings Lane Medical Centre, 120 Ryecroft St, Nottingham

Dr John Doddy is responsible for considerable negligence and fraud at Hickings Lane Medical Centre.

This website has been created to warn members of the public about the dangers posed by Dr Doddy and his practice. Patients are currently at risk, especially in regards to the safeguarding of their data. Mrs Dorinda Doddy, the Senior Practice Nurse, is also aware of the below.

There has been a mass exodus of senior staff from Hickings Lane over the last 6 months, and the departures include the Practice Manager of 10 years, the Deputy Practice Manager of 6 years, a GP, and a receptionist.

What follows below is a statement from a whistle-blower, named for the purposes of this website as "WM", which lists the key concerns:

COVER-UP OF MISSING AND MISLABELLED BLOOD SAMPLES

OVER 200 CONFIDENTIAL PATIENT LETTERS, INCLUDING ADDRESS, DOB, AND PERSONAL ILLNESS DETAILS, ARE UNSECURED AND ACCESSIBLE ONLINE

TAX EVASION

BREACH OF ELECTORAL LAW

Hickings Lane has been rated as "Outstanding" by the CQC, but this rating is based on a material misrepresentation of the facts. The CQC has been very heavily misled.

We are happy to provide further information, evidence, and statements to any concerned patients, journalists, and investigative bodies.

Please email: dangersofhickingslane@gmail.com

TAX EVASION

From November 2017 to January 2018, WM was paid "under the table" while under the employ of Dr John Doddy at Hickings Lane Medical Centre. Dr Doddy, the Practice Manager Ms Tracy Colman, and the Senior Practice Nurse Mrs Dorinda Doddy were all categorically aware of this arrangement. Dr Doddy and Ms Colman told WM that they had to work out how they would "show" the money being paid to him, and Dr Doddy stated it would be "gardening or something".

WM used his own personal NHS ID badge while working for Dr Doddy, so there is a paper trail of all of the work that he did for him. In addition, there are numerous text messages to WM that make reference to the work he did for Dr Doddy — e.g. patient note summarising, which was clearly substantive work at the practice and not "gardening". To be clear, WM has not even lifted a trowel at the practice, let alone ever complete a task that could be referred to as "gardening". There is further evidence of the Practice Manager stating, "I need to speak to John about how to show it", thereby confirming that Dr Doddy was masterminding this tax evasion.

WM was always paid by cheque during the above period, and he never received a single payslip. During the period in question, WM was paid three times by Dr Doddy. The exact amounts paid to WM and the attendant dates are furnished on Page 2 of the evidence bundle, which we are happy to provide to the media.

WM first learned of the above when he logged into Her Majesty's Revenue and Custom's website and noted that Hickings Lane Medical Centre was not listed as a previous employer. WM has contacted Dr Doddy and the new Practice Manager Himmat Singh on several occasions to seek a copy of his P45, but they've ignored his requests.

WM also completed a lot of personal work for Dr Doddy, which including creating and editing his personal CV. Dr Doddy paid WM for this personal work using Hickings Lane's cheques. In effect, Dr Doddy misused NHS funds to pay for his own personal work.

WM is only one employee of the practice. The employment and tax records of Hickings Lane should be very closely examined. Damningly, tax evasion depletes the public purse of much-needed funds. The NHS is barely surviving, yet — in Dr John Doddy — we have a GP who's contributing to the fraud against the NHS.

Dr Doddy has committed fraud by avoiding his obligations under PAYE, and failing to pay the requisite Income Tax and NIC to HMRC.

COVER-UP OF MISSING AND MISLABELLED BLOOD SAMPLES

Dr Doddy hired WM as a phlebotomist for a period of a few months, but categorically did not offer adequate training. WM had his own clinics within the practice; he regularly tried to take blood, missed the vein, and had to summon Mrs Doddy for help. WM also came across mislabelled blood vials, which led to them being lost or mixed-up, as he was not offered adequate training, despite repeatedly asking to be trained properly. The seriousness of the foregoing cannot be understated. Vials of patients’ blood were either lost or mixed-up with other patients, meaning that it could have resulted in one patient receiving the results of another patient’s blood. The NHS’ guidance clearly states that mislabelled and unlabelled blood samples cannot be processed by laboratories as errors in inadequate patient identification and incorrect sample labelling can lead to significant risk to patients. It should be ascertained why Dr Doddy or Mrs Doddy did not seek to take any preventative steps when patients were placed at such grave risk. Furthermore, NHS guidelines state that a “Patient Safety Incident” report must be made in the event of any “unintended or unexpected incident that could have or did lead to harm for one or more patients receiving NHS-funded care”. Dr Doddy and Mrs Doddy made no such reports when they were aware of many blood vials being lost and mislabelled. This is outrageous and unacceptable.

When WM asked to resign his clinic, Dr Doddy and Mrs Dorinda Doddy both pressured him to continue working, despite him being a risk to the NHS and a threat to patient safety. There is also ample evidence in this regard, including highly incriminatory e-mails from the Practice Manager Ms Colman. As an example, in one such email from Ms Colman to WM, Ms Colman states “think we got away with it this time”. These are the damning words of the Practice Manager. In addition, when WM lost his NHS ID card, which provides access to the NHS system, and reported the loss to Ms Colman, Ms Colman replied, “... u can ask ***** 2 work on her password till u get a replacement... but I never said that!!!” (‘*****’ is Person X, a Senior Receptionist) These are the damning words of the Practice Manager. This negligent behaviour — namely the flagrant contravention of NHS guidelines, and complete lack of regard for best practices and the safety of confidential patient information — was rampant within Hickings Lane Medical Centre. WM was allowed to use the NHS ID cards belonging to Ms Tracy Colman, Person X, and Person Y (another receptionist), which is deeply concerning as Ms Colman’s and Person X’s cards allowed access to restricted content, whilst WM’s card only allowed administrative access.

Dr Doddy has endangered patient safety by failing to follow NHS guidelines and covering up the loss and mislabelling of blood samples.

200+ CONFIDENTIAL PATIENT LETTERS ACCESSIBLE BY THE PUBLIC

Dr Doddy frequently shared highly confidential information with WM via text message and email — he would often send WM emails with patient information enclosed. WM used to write-up Dr Doddy's hand clinic letters — and as a result of reckless and improper management — WM, and the public at large, still has access to over 220 patient letters, which contain an abundance of highly sensitive and confidential medical information pertaining to Dr Doddy's patients. These letters are sitting completely unsecured on a public Dropbox folder.

NHS data should always be kept securely, but housing all of these files in a public Dropbox

(and not on an NHS server — where it should have been, and where data can only be

accessed with the use of an NHS ID badge) is a huge breach of protocol. This is a flagrant breach of the NHS Code of Practice on Information Security Management. This is extremely worrying — all 220 affected patients should be contacted immediately, and a notice of the breach should be publicly displayed on Hickings Lane Medical Centre’s website.

WM was given a key to the practice and security access passes which allowed him access into every room of Dr Doddy’s practice, and WM regularly left unattended on weekends and evenings — where WM had unbridled access to thousands of patient records. In fact, WM's desk was actually within the patient record room. The receptionists at Dr Doddy's practice frequently allowed WM to use their ID badges to log onto the system; an act which they know is strictly forbidden. It should be stated that the foregoing occurred whilst WM was employed as a “gardener or something” — WM was allowed full, unrestrained access to all records within the practice, without any oversight or management over his actions, which employees who were legally and properly hired within the NHS would have had.

Dr Doddy's negligence has lead to a very serious breach of patient confidentiality, as a large swathe of personal data remains online and accessible by the general public.

BREACH OF ELECTORAL LAW

In the past, Dr Doddy, who is also a County Councillor, has asked WM to deliver his election leaflets door-to-door for him, but strictly told him not to tell anybody that he was being paid for this activity, as he was “not allowed” to pay WM for said work. WM delivered in excess of 800 leaflets for Dr Doddy during his election campaign in Broxtowe.

The Electoral Commission guidance for local elections in England and Wales* clearly stipulates that "During the campaign, you must not pay canvassers". Furthermore, the guidance states "Neither the Returning Officer nor the Commission regulate these offences. Any complaints should be made to the police". WM has an invoice that he sent to Dr Doddy, which clearly lists that he was paid for over 6 hours of canvassing. (The invoice initially listed “canvassing”, but there is evidence that Dr Doddy emphatically asked WM to amend the text to “leafleting” to make it more obscure as he was aware that he was not allowed to pay for canvassing.)

Dr Doddy has committed a clear electoral crime, and he should be immediately suspended as a Councillor pending a full investigation.

Next Steps

Dr John Doddy is both a GP and a County Councillor. Owing to the widespread criminality and negligence listed above, Dr Doddy needs to be immediately removed as a Councillor given his misconduct and flouting of electoral law, and there needs to be an immediate investigation into Hickings Lane Medical Centre. There are grave and serious risks to the patients of Hickings Lane. Dr Doddy is absolutely and categorically not fit to serve as a GP or a Councillor. This is an individual who has engaged in wanton criminal behaviour, including tax evasion and the dissemination of prescription medicine, yet this is an individual who currently sits on health committees on behalf of constituents. Dr Doddy's behaviour renders him wholly unsuitable.

The content above is the experience of one individual — many employees have left as a result of Dr Doddy's ill behaviour and statements should be sought from all of them as well.

A SELECTION OF EVIDENCE

An invoice paid by Dr Doddy that clearly lists he personally paid money for canvassing. This is a crime.

An email from Dr Doddy's Practice Manager stating "think we got away with it this time" in response to a report about a blood sample being mislabelled. An incident of this nature is supposed to be reported, but this instance and several others like it were simply covered up.

One example of 200+ letters, which contain full names, address details, dates of birth, NHS numbers, and a plethora of personal information pertaining to various ailments. These letters are accessible by general members of the public as they've been stored by Dr Doddy on a public Dropbox folder, in gross contravention of NHS guidelines.

A text message from Dr Doddy to WM. Staff at Hickings Lane were heavily coached before CQC visits, as many of the measures were discarded and were designed by Dr Doddy to simply mislead the CQC.

A text message from Dr Doddy's Practice Manager to WM, in which she's instructing him to use another employee's log-in details and password, in clear contravention of NHS guidelines.

A text message to WM from an ex-employee of Hickings Lane, who stated that she and two other employees left the practice in 2019 after they became sick of Dr Doddy's behaviour.

A text message from Dr Doddy's Deputy Practice Manager to WM, in which she's offering her own log-in details and password. This behaviour is emblematic of how Dr Doddy manages Hickings Lane. There needs to be an urgent inquiry by the CQC.

A copy of one of WM's bank statements, which reveal cash deposits Dr Doddy made into WM's account. Dr Doddy paid WM "under the table" and plainly committed an imprisonable offence of tax evasion when doing so. How many more employees were paid in this way?

Additional evidence added on 6th December 2019

A text message exchange, dated 2018, which serves as a damning piece of damning evidence that Dr John Doddy supplied a non-patient, whom he knew was depressed, with a prescription-only painkiller. How many other people has Dr Doddy supplied prescription medicine to in this manner?

A text message Dr Doddy's Practice Manager sent to WM, in which she states that she'll pay WM "from petty cash", and asks WM to remind her "what date we said u left here" (emphasis mine). This is evidence of Hickings Lane fudging the date WM left the practice to reflect the official record, and serves as further evidence of tax evasion.

A text message Dr Doddy's Practice Manager sent to WM, in which she offers her own log-in username and password for access to NHS systems. This is a Practice Manager, with one of the highest levels of access to data, offering an administrative employee her log-in credentials. This kind of behaviour was rife within Hickings Lane, and it was actively encouraged by Dr Doddy.

Additional evidence added on 8th December 2019

An email that WM sent to Dr Doddy's Practice Manager after a wide spate of blood samples went missing or were mislabelled, as a result of poor management practices and lack of training. This is one of several pieces of correspondence where WM clearly expressed, in writing, that he was not comfortable with continuing in his role due to his concerns over patient safety. These were very serious incidents that were never reported and simply covered up. Dr John Doddy and Mrs Dorinda Doddy both heavily pressured WM to stay in his role. No further training or oversight was offered even after this email.

A text message exchange between WM and his sibling. This is an additional piece of evidence that confirms Dr Doddy paid for canvassing. This is a plain example of a violation of electoral law and constitutes a crime.

This is evidence of the public Dropbox folder that houses over 200+ confidential patient letters. This contravenes both strict NHS guidelines and the General Data Protection Legislation 2018. These letters currently have a view count totalling 376. They are still accessible publicly, and Dr Doddy has done nothing whatsoever to remove them. This is an individual who believes he's above the law and can act with impunity. In this respect, there has been no regard at all for the safety of personal and confidential information belonging to Hickings Lane patients.

Additional evidence added on 11th December 2019

An email WM sent to Dr Shaista Khan in November 2019 seeking her help. Dr Khan ignored WM's pleas for help. This is a current senior GP at Hickings Lane ignoring information pertaining to criminality at her practice.

A message WM sent to Dr Shaista Khan in November 2019 seeking her help. Dr Khan again ignored WM's pleas for help.

An email WM sent to Mr Himmat Singh, the new Practice Manager, seeking his help. Mr Singh ignored WM's pleas for help. This is the new Practice Manager ignoring information pertaining to criminality at his practice. This is evidence that the current senior management of Hickings Lane — both medical and administrative — have ignored very serious and troubling information that strikes at the heart of the practice's operation. The CQC need to shut this practice down until the above matters are dealt with.

Update added on 29th December 2019

Since the date of the above being disclosed to the police and various authorities, WM's mother has been the victim of a targeted campaign of harassment, including slanderous emails that have been sent to Broxtowe Borough Council and local newspapers, and WM's mother also received a threatening message via WhatsApp on Thursday 26th December. The emails sent to the former advised the recipients to contact Dr Doddy for further information.

It's clear that the above course of harassment is designed to intimidate WM in his capacity as a whistle-blower. To be clear, lawful reports have been made about very dangerous practices that endanger the lives of innocent patients at Hickings Lane, lawful reports have been made about Dr Doddy's tax fraud and misuse of NHS funds for his own personal gain, and lawful reports have been about the unlawful storage of confidential and deeply personal patient data at Hickings Lane, and many further reports have been made that we are not at liberty to discuss.

Dr Doddy's response to the lawful reporting of his criminal tax fraud, and dangerous behaviour that puts patient lives at risk, has been to target and harass WM's mother. To be clear, this course of action will not work. The harassment WM's mother has suffered has been reported to Nottinghamshire Police and the Head of the NHS' Whistleblowing team.

Dr John Doddy and Mrs Dorinda Doddy — the most senior administrative and medical personnel at the practice at the time of the criminality — are still at the helm of Hickings Lane, and this is distressing beyond measure. Patients' lives are at risk and action must immediately be taken.

Negligence and fraud at Hickings Lane Medical Centre