Doctor who missed signs Baby P was being abused is suspended for 12 months

A GP who failed to spot Baby P was suffering abuse eight days before his death has been suspended for 12 months by the General Medical Council.

Dr Jerome Ikwueke, 63, noted the little boy had changed from his usual happy self, seemed "withdrawn" and pulled away when he saw him for the last time on 26 July, 2007.

The doctor 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, a GMC panel ruled at an earlier hearing.

Baby P - Peter Connelly - died in Tottenham, north London, eight days after the consultation. He was only 17 months old.

The GMC committee had already found that Dr Ikwueke's fitness to practise was impaired by his misconduct in Peter's care.

In announcing its decision yesterday not to strike off the GP but rather suspend him from the medical register for the maximum period of 12 months, the disciplinary panel said that, "despite the serious breaches", his misconduct was "not fundamentally incompatible" with continued registration as a doctor.

Although concerned at his "limited insight" before and during the hearing, the disciplinary panel concluded Dr Ikwueke did not present a danger to patients in the future and had taken "extensive" steps to remedy the issues identified.

It also said he had shown "undoubted remorse".

Panel chairman Judith Worthington said: "The panel notes that the GMC concedes that you do not present a danger to patients in the future."