Dismissing a child’s symptoms when they actually needed major surgery is just one of the complaints against a Guernsey paediatrician highlighted by a group of families in an open letter published today in support of Deputy Gavin St Pier.

He faces being suspended from the States for 25-days this week, after a complaint made against him by the doctor was upheld by the Standards’ Commissioner.

Dr Sandie Bohin made her latest Code of Conduct complaint against Deputy St Pier earlier this year following a conversation he had with a national newspaper journalist which was connected to the past events involving his family and others.

Deputy St Pier said that he confirmed to the Guardian’s reporter how many complaints he was aware of that had been made against Dr Bohin. When the reporter contacted Dr Bohin, she made a Code of Conduct complaint against Deputy St Pier.

Now, some of those families who have previously complained about Dr Bohin have published an open letter detailing their personal situations and highlighting their support for Deputy St Pier.

Pictured: Dr Sandie Bohin and Deputy Gavin St Pier.

Although the 17 families, who have called themselves ‘Families for Culture Change’, are still anonymous, the identities of some are known to Express.

“We – Families for Culture Change – believe that the current code of conduct complaint faced by Gavin St Pier is the latest example of a process being weaponised and a smear campaign being mounted against someone challenging medical and health services locally,” they wrote in their letter which has been published today by Express.

The letter itself was shared with States members ahead of this week’s debate on whether or not to suspend Deputy St Pier. The families have called on his colleagues to do the right thing – and stand by him.

“This ruling is much bigger than Deputy St Pier, Dr Bohin or any of us as families,” they wrote. “This ruling fundamentally strikes at the heart of democracy and raises questions about the role of our elected individuals in representing the voice of our community. They have an essential role as advocates for their constituents. It is tragic and alarming that this role is now being threatened by those prepared to weaponise process to protect their own low standards and poor behaviour.”

Some of the “low standards” and “poor behaviour” experienced by the families has been detailed in their open letter.

“We can attest to being on the receiving end of this behaviour during the darkest and most terrifying times of our lives, when our children were at their most unwell. We would never wish our experiences on any family,” they wrote.

They have detailed experiences of those families who were referred to safeguarding services after seeking second opinions on their child’s diagnosis.

The open letter also reveals that one of the families was at the centre of a data protection breach in 2016 involving Dr Bohin and the MSG.

Pictured: The families have offered examples of where their child’s medical care fell short.

The families have also claimed that their experiences have been formally lodged as complaints – something Dr Bohin and the MSG has denied.

They’ve also said they were not contacted by the Standards’ Commissioner while she was investigating Dr Bohin’s Code of Conduct complaint against Deputy St Pier, despite the fact they are directly involved.

Admitting that they have spoken to the media, including national reporters, about their experiences, the families explained why they chose to do that.

“We have spent nearly a decade trying to get our voices heard to no avail. We have followed complaint and appeal procedures, only to see them used against us. Our voices were suppressed or silenced. Therefore, we decided that it was time to speak up to the only outlet left available to us – the media. We wish we could publicly attach our names to our complaints, but we are forced to remain anonymous due to the fear that our children will not be safe in the paediatric system. That is the sad reality we face. Dr Bohin’s current pursuit of Deputy St Pier, through yet another code of conduct complaint, is merely the latest evidence of the lack of safety in the system for people who speak out.”

Pictured: The States will vote on the proposed suspension this week.

The open letter has been shared with Guernsey’s 38 deputies and the States of Alderney representatives ahead of the debate, due to start tomorrow, which will determine whether Deputy St Pier is suspended or not.

The States meeting starts on Wednesday morning with deputies expected to start debating the proposed suspension later that day. 

If the States votes in favour of Deputy St Pier being suspended he will have to leave the chamber immediately and will not be allowed to do any States work at all for 25-days.