Conditions imposed on Baby P doctor

A GP who failed to spot Baby P's abuse can return to work as a doctor but only under strict conditions, the General Medical Council has ruled.

The GMC suspended Dr Jerome Ikwueke for 12 months in July last year for a series of failures in his care of the toddler.

A review panel has now ruled that his fitness to practise is still "impaired", but concluded he can resume practising if he complies with 18 conditions imposed on his registration for a year.

As the family GP, Dr Ikwueke saw Baby P - now named as Peter Connelly - at his north London surgery at least 14 times in the months before his death.

The doctor noted that the little boy had changed from his usual happy self, seemed "withdrawn" and pulled away when he saw him for the final time on July 26, 2007.

Peter died eight days later in Tottenham, north London, aged just 17 months.

A GMC disciplinary panel ruled last year that Dr Ikwueke breached his professional duty towards the child in not carrying out a full examination, making an urgent referral for further checks or sharing information with a health visitor or social workers.

The committee decided to suspend Dr Ikwueke rather than strike him off the medical register after concluding he did not pose a risk to patients and had taken steps to remedy issues identified through the Baby P case.

The GMC review panel noted on Thursday that the GP had "gained considerable insight" into his failings and expanded his knowledge of child protection since the previous hearing, but it concluded: "You now need to demonstrate that you have embedded this learning in your clinical practice through a review process."

Dr Ikwueke will now be returned to the medical register under stringent conditions which require him to be supervised and ban him from undertaking private practice work.