A doctor in England caused “significant anxiety” by asking a Muslim patient to remove her hijab and demonstrated an “intolerance and disdain for patients”, a tribunal ruled.
Dr Keith Wolverson was reported to the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2019 and initially received the support of more 133,000 people in a petition titled Stop Dr Wolverson Getting Fired.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing on Monday found Dr Wolverson was “impaired by reason of misconduct” after referring to patients’ ability to speak English as “abysmal”, “extremely wanting” and “terrible”.
Over a period of four months in 2018, the doctor had written notes such as one which said: “Explained this to mother as best that one could but is it her duty to learn more English … being here for five years and not being able to explain what is wrong with her daughter is frankly not good enough.”
During the hearing, Dr Wolverson said he had asked a patient to remove her face covering at Staffordshire’s Royal Stoke University Hospital because “she was difficult to understand due to her veil or strong accent”.
But the tribunal found the patient did not have poor English, and he had been “inconsiderate” and did “not respect her dignity and privacy”.
The “impairment determination” made by the tribunal read: “The request in these circumstances did not treat (the patient) fairly and did not take account of her life choices and beliefs.
“Given the sensitivities, the tribunal concluded that the public and profession would expect that such a request from a doctor should only be made after carefully considering the specific circumstances that exist at the time and after concluding that there is a clear reason to make the request.
“In this case, Dr Wolverson made no such assessment, and he made the request because it is his general practice to do so.
“This put his interests above that of (the patient) and thus his actions were serious.
“The tribunal concluded that the public and the profession would also view this conduct as serious and deplorable.
“The tribunal therefore found that his actions in requesting that (the patient) remove her face veil in these particular circumstances did constitute serious misconduct.”
Speaking about the incident in 2019, Dr Wolverson, from Derby, told the PA news agency he had made the request “in the same way I’d ask a motorcyclist to remove a crash helmet”.
“I’m a little bit sad the country has been committed to depths such as this,” he said.
“But it takes more than this to knock me off my perch.”
Commenting on the language used by Dr Wolverson, the impairment determination continued: “In making the inappropriate notes, Dr Wolverson had treated patients unfairly, disrespectfully and in a manner that did not justify patients’ and the public’s trust in doctors.
“The tribunal considered that patients were likely to be shocked and upset to read the notes and that fellow practitioners would find Dr Wolverson’s conduct serious and deplorable.
“The tribunal also noted that this had not been a one-off entry made out of frustration.
“This was a routine way of behaving towards certain types of patients over a period of months.
“The tribunal therefore found that Dr Wolverson’s actions … amounted to serious misconduct.”
The panel is yet to make a determination on what sanction Dr Wolverson should receive.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
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26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
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Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
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- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
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*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
