Top doctor at Moray hospital is suspended
A senior doctor at a Moray hospital has been suspended amid claims that he failed to alert police and social workers to an alleged sexual assault on a girl.
It is understood colleagues complained about the way that consultant paediatrician Willem van IJperen dealt with the case of the 13-year-old who was admitted to Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin.
NHS Grampian confirmed last night that a member of staff had been suspended, and said an “urgent” inquiry was under way.
Mr IJperen is thought to have been overseeing the care of the girl who was admitted with a sexually-transmitted infection.
A source at Dr Gray’s claimed the Dutch-born doctor failed to report the incident as an under-age sex case to either Grampian Police or Moray Council’s social work department, causing a four-day delay in any hand- over of information.
The source said: “The girl came in on Friday night and Dr Van IJperen had treated her all weekend, but it wasn’t until the following Tuesday when the late shift came on that anything was reported.”
The source claimed Dr Van IJperen told his medical team that he had not reported the case because his patient had said that she had consented to sex with her boyfriend.
Other medical staff protested, arguing that because the girl was under-age an offence had been committed.
It is believed the case was eventually reported by another member of the team.
“The policy clearly states that the authorities should be notified in any child sex case,” the source said.
The investigation comes just months after Moray Council was at the centre of one of the country’s worst HM Inspectorate of Education reports.
The report revealed that the needs of vulnerable Moray children at risk of harm, abuse or neglect were not met properly by local protection services.
Ten out of 18 aspects of Moray’s child protection service were rated as weak.
One of the key failures was the lack of communication and information-sharing between agencies.
An action plan has since been put in place.
Dr Van IJperen, who lives near Elgin, declined to discuss the allegations when he was contacted by the Press and Journal last night.
He said: “I do not have to say anything to the press about my work. I do not have to defend myself.
“My interest is to protect my patients. I am always trying to do my utmost, even if it would mean putting my own head on the line.”
The 58-year-old consultant qualified in 1981 after studying in Rotterdam.
He is an honorary senior clinical lecturer and teaches medical ethics to undergraduates and paediatrics to medical students at Aberdeen University.
Last night, Moray councillors and a spokesman for the local authority said they were unable to comment.
