CNA Newsroom, Sep 30, 2022 / 10:00 am
A Christian doctor from Kent, United Kingdom, has appealed to Christians in professional life to “stand up and fight” after he faced investigation for offering his patients “spiritual care.”
A tribunal between the National Health Service (NHS) England and Dr. Richard Scott, who is based at the Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, Kent, was canceled earlier this week after it was agreed that Scott would instead attend a one-day course on “professional boundaries” because a number of patients had complained about him offering spiritual support.
Scott told CNA that he agreed to the course as a “goodwill gesture” and that it was crucial for him that it was understood that there was “no guilt attached” on the grounds that he had been acting within the guidelines of the General Medical Council and according to the European Convention on Human Rights and religious expression.
Following the resolution, Scott said that he was pleased with the outcome, which held “huge significance” for religious freedom, and added: “I want Christians to toughen up in this country because prayer is hugely beneficial and makes a huge difference to people’s health, and it shouldn’t be controversial. We need to stand up and fight.”