Shropshire ebola trip doctor 'heartbroken' at news of nurse investigation
A Shropshire doctor who travelled to West Africa to help fight ebola has said he is "heartbroken" after it was revealed five of his colleagues on the mission were being investigated after allegations about their conduct.
Newport psychiatrist Dr Martin Deahl was speaking after it was announced Public Health England (PHE) had passed information to the General Medical Council (GMC) and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) after assessing the screening of healthcare workers returning to the UK.
Pauline Cafferkey, a British nurse who contracted ebola while working in Sierra Leone and four colleagues now being investigated were in the same batch of NHS volunteers who flew out to the country for a month, returning on December 28.
Dr Deahl said he did not know who else was under investigation or what the allegations were referring too.
He said: "This news came as a complete bolt out of the blue and it is heartbreaking to hear.
"I am staggered and I cannot believe anything improper has happened and I think that this poor woman has been through hell and to have this happen afterwards is sad.
"I cannot put into words how upset I feel about it. I have got no idea what it refers to or who it involves, I am just very, very sad that anyone who goes and does a thing like that and puts their life on the line then finds themselves treated in like this when they return, I found this heartbreaking."
PHE spokeswoman, Cam Morgan, said: "During our recent assessment of the screening of some returning healthcare workers at Heathrow on December 28, information emerged which needed to be passed to the General Medical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
"We are aware that the regulators are now considering the matter and it would be inappropriate for PHE to comment further at this time."
A NMC spokeswoman added: " We can confirm that we are investigating allegations about the conduct of three nurses.
Ms Cafferkey, had been volunteering with Save The Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town before returning to the UK in December on the same flight as Dr Deahl.
