Doctor gave kids incorrect vaccines

A doctor who admitted to incorrectly vaccinating dozens of children and babies has been found guilty of professional misconduct.

Dr Derek Graham’s practices sparked a HSE investigation that led to it re-immunising 335 children who had been his patients over almost two decades.

Dr Graham, who practices in Newcastle, Co Dublin, admitted to a series of allegations against him in relation to about 50 child-ren being wrongly vaccinated between 2008 and 2011.

A fitness to practise inquiry committee yesterday ruled that he was guilty of professional misconduct in respect of one of these allegations — that he mixed vaccines which were meant to be administered in separate injections.

The GP was also found guilty of the lesser charge of poor professional performance in connection with three allegations.

These were:

* That he inaccurately recorded injections as being given in different limbs to the limbs they were actually administered to;

* That he used the PCV7 vaccine instead of the more up-to-date PCV13 injection on babies born after Oct 2010 when he knew or ought to have known this was inappropriate;

* That he failed to maintain accurate patient records.

One allegation relating to Dr Graham’s storage of vaccines was found not to have been proven as fact.

The medicines concerned in the case include the six-in-one vaccine; the MMR vaccine; and the PCV vaccine.

During the inquiry, Dr Brenda Corcoran, a consultant in public health medicine at the HSE’s national immunisation office, gave evidence that Dr Graham’s lack of records regarding injections led to problems identifying the children affected when the matter came to light in Aug 2011.

“At that time we thought the total children were around 300 — when we went public, more children emerged, bringing the total to 335,” she explained.

Dr Corcoran said she had never heard of a doctor mixing vaccines before, adding that it was a basic premise of medicine that you don’t mix drugs.

She said Dr Graham told her he was continuing to use the PCV7 vaccine after it had been replaced by the PCV13 version because “he wanted to use his old stocks up”.

Cathal Murphy, for Dr Graham, told the inquiry his client regretted any distress caused to families of the children he treated.

Mr Murphy said Dr Graham’s motivation was to lessen the pain inflicted on children.

He added that a number of parents whose children are involved in this incident continue to be happy with Dr Graham’s practice as a GP.

The full report of the fitness to practise committee will be sent to the board of the Medical Council, which will decide what sanction to impose on Dr Graham.