Chapter 38

Monday evening, Louisa received two phone calls.

First, Martin called informing her about the meeting. Louisa tried her best to reassure him that Parsons actually had offered a very interesting strategy and that she also thought it would be advisable if Martin could slowly resume his duties. Overdoing things might just hamper his recovery. The call had ended with Martin promising that he would contact Chris to agree to this solution.

A little while later, Chris called. He was happy about Martin's agreement, especially as he felt that he couldn't postpone the panel meeting for much longer. Some of the members kept on pestering him. So, Louisa was invited as the lay member to the meeting on Wednesday evening.

xxx

Louisa sat in the meeting of the panel committee and listened quietly to the opinions of the fellow committee members. She couldn't believe her ears.

"The paramount question is, if we can get a regular GP down here soon or if we have to fill the gap with a locum."

"Maybe we will even have to organise a shuttle bus to Wadebridge until we can get a proper doctor down here."

"Maybe it would be worth it to have a temporary solution first. We don't want any doctor who hasn't got a chance anywhere else. This time it should be a decent one, one we can trust with the health care of our village."

"Right."

"So, we're back to our first question. How long will it take to appoint a quality GP for Portwenn and what will we do in the meantime?"

Louisa looked over to Chris Parson. They were the only ones not contributing to this discussion just yet.

"Well, first we have to get the surgery in working order again, and it wouldn't be helpful if someone else lives there, would it? The cottage doesn't provide privacy for anyone but the GP living there."

This was it! Louisa couldn't take any more.

"Pardon me! I can't believe it! I simply can't believe that you really mean what you're saying! Did you listen to what you've been saying? Have you any idea what you are talking about? Or am I on the wrong planet, or what? Just look at you! The whole lot of you!"

"Miss Glasson, we know that you are a bit biased in this matter…"

"Biased my foot!" Louisa interrupted. "I'm not in the least biased! I just know that we have an extraordinarily brilliant GP at the moment, who unfortunately is on sick leave for a long period of time. I thought we would be discussing hiring a locum here, to decide what we should do until Dr. Ellingham can take up his duties again."

"But, no! Not only have you already fired him without a second thought, no, now you're discussing how you can throw him out of his own home! In case you haven't noticed, Dr. Ellingham owns the cottage."

"We are sure there are ways that this can be handled in the best interest of all parties. Even Dr. Ellingham must see that there is no way that he can live in the same house where another GP will be practising."

Louisa jumped up, spat a bitter laugh, put her arms akimbo and looked provocatively into the round. "I can't believe this. I simply can't believe this! This is Candid Camera, right? You're having me on. You can't possibly mean anything you're saying."

"Miss Glasson, please calm down and be reasonable."

"Reasonable? I should be reasonable? Try it yourself!" Louisa paced up and down in front of the committee members.

"This man, our GP, has saved more lives in this bloody community than any GP I've ever heard of! Did he take even one evening off during all those years that he was responsible for this village, let alone some holidays? Did he ever send any patient away, no matter what time of day – or night? Dr. Ellingham is the best GP we can wish for and we can call ourselves lucky that he found his way down to sleepy Cornwall."

"Miss Glasson, we won't argue that he had been a very competent Doctor in the last years, however, we have to think about the future."

"And what kind of future have you in mind for Dr. Ellingham? Shall he exist on handouts? Or will you, in your endless generosity, allow him to clean the cliff paths of the rubbish the tourists have left? Unfortunately there is no bin big enough for the rubbish you're talking!"

"Miss Glasson, we can see that you are emotionally involved and, up to a point, I can understand this. However, if you are not able to discuss this matter-of-factly, we would prefer if you would leave the committee. We have to come to a solution for the sake of Portwenn."

"I admit, what happened to Dr. Ellingham is tragic and he has our sympathy. We also admit that his abilities as a GP have been adequate and there would have been no need for a replacement if he hadn't had this unfortunate accident that leaves him in a condition that we can't entrust the safety of our community to him."

"Did you even bother to inform yourself about his condition? Do you even know what retrograde amnesia means? Or couldn't you brush up on it as you couldn't understand the description of it?"

They tried to comment on her accusations, but Louisa quickly continued, ignoring the angry shouts and grunts of the other committee members.

"Yes, Dr. Ellingham has a little problem with his memory. He can't remember his personal history or any people he has ever met. Well, I must add, in your case that's even a blessing." More murmurs, but Louisa was in a rage and couldn't be stopped easily.

"His factual memory, however, is almost completely intact. Furthermore, he has already started to intensify and test his knowledge. With the help of Dr. Chris Parsons and Dr. Fellows, his treating doctor, he had subscribed to Plymouth University, where his medical knowledge will be thoroughly checked. He is already working with the online-university and has taken some tests already, which, by the way, he passed with flying colours."

"MISS GLASSON!" she was interrupted sharply. "We acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Ellingham and admire your obvious loyalty, but being a GP is not just about medical knowledge. You have to have experience. You have to know your community."

"Maybe I'm missing something here, but do we have a GP which knows Portwenn and is willing to take the job? I am not aware of any other doctors in our village."

"Of course, when a new GP will be appointed he needs some time to get adjusted, but that can't be helped."

"Maybe I am a bit stupid, but where exactly is the advantage then having a new GP rather than to keep Dr. Ellingham? With time, he will get used to the village like any new GP. A possible new GP knows exactly as much about our village at the moment as Dr. Ellingham does. Besides, we know for sure that Dr. Ellingham is extraordinarily meticulous about his duties and far better in diagnosing patients than any GP we can wish for."

"Do I really have to spell it out for you – Dr. Ellingham is mentally damaged and, honestly, we don't think that this is the best qualification for a job with such responsibility."

"With mentally damaged you mean he lost his memory, and as if it isn't enough, he shall also lose his job and his home. Great! Maybe I have to spell this out for you – Dr. Ellingham wouldn't be in this condition if he hadn't been so concerned for the welfare of our community."

"On that evening, he could have easily taken the night off, directing any calls to Wadebridge and we could have had a nice dinner for two on my balcony. By the way, the evening that he disappeared, had been a very nice one and sitting outside would have been fun."

"No, but Dr. Ellingham couldn't do that. He got a call, which lured him way out to Lundy Bay. Does it even belong to the village, I wonder? But he didn't care. All he knew was that there was someone needing his help, so he didn't hesitate a second to sacrifice his pleasurable evening to attend to his duties."

"Very stupid, as I have to admit now. How can a man be so careless! He really shouldn't have done that – being a victim to foul play and losing his memory over this. That's really not worthy of a GP. I can see quite well how such a person can't be trusted." Louisa explained sarcastically.

"Do you realise, that we are responsible for his condition, as his care for us made him go there in the first place? It's not that he planned to do something stupid, illegal or risky that led to his condition – like cliff diving or bungee-jumping or what. No, he just took up his responsibility for the welfare of Portwenn."

"But it wasn't wasted, I admit. To thank him we throw him out of his job and out of his house. And then they say that today, people don't know the meaning of gratitude anymore!"

"Miss Glasson, we've listened to you patiently, and we can assure you that we are sorry about the fate that has befallen Dr. Ellingham. However, it does not solve the problem of the future health care of Portwenn."

"Mr. Parsons, please, can you explain to them that there is no medical reason whatsoever why Dr. Ellingham shouldn't be able to perform his duties as a GP anymore?"

Finally Chris Parsons spoke up.

"I've followed to your discussion with interest, and I have to admit I'm stunned about the hubris with which you believe you can make a decision without being informed about the matter in the first place."

"By the way, if Dr. Ellingham would have forgotten half of his medical knowledge –which is, by the way, not the case – he still would know more about medicine than all possible candidates for Portwenn together. As Miss Glasson has pointed out, his deficiencies seem to be entirely in his private recollection. This is tragic for him personally, but I can't see any influence on his abilities as GP in that respect."

"You were concerned that he would lack experience. It is true that he can't actively remember treating any patients, but his comments and discussions at the hospital clearly show that subconsciously he seems to know how to treat people."

This comment caused murmur among the committee members.

"I can see that this is of some concern and that you like a bit more than that. First I would like to add that anyone interested in this post is very likely some graduate from medical school starting his career. You might not be aware of it, but small Cornish villages are not necessarily every doctor's dream career wise. Therefore, chances are that any possible candidate will lack experience."

"On the other hand, there's a fair chance that Dr. Ellingham will regain his memory. In the vast majority of cases of retrograde amnesia the patient sooner or later remembers quite well. Even in case if Dr. Ellingham does not ever regain his memory, he will learn more quickly, as his brain already has this information. He has just lost the means of accessing it."

"Miss Glasson also mentioned that he is already subscribed to Plymouth University. I've contacted some of the tutors there and explained the situation. They will check his knowledge thoroughly. I can assure you that we won't let Dr. Ellingham perform surgery, before he has repeated the main exams successfully. As it seems now, this shouldn't be a problem. As I already mentioned, he's forgotten more about medicine than others ever knew. When we allow him to do surgery again, he will have been so thoroughly tested as any graduate you might get."

"In the meantime I would suggest hiring a locum for, let's say, about a year. I am pretty sure that Dr. Ellingham will have successfully completed his refresher course by then and in the meantime he can assist the locum, giving him the opportunity to slowly gather work experience again. The village will have a back-up system and can be assured of having the best possible health care."

"That is the course of action I would recommend. Of course, as head of PCT I have to consider the wishes of the community. So, if you insist on replacing Dr. Ellingham, I will have no choice but to follow your demands. However, I have to warn you that it is very unlikely to get a highly-skilled GP like Dr. Ellingham down here."

"You might overestimate the attraction of Portwenn, but for the medical profession it is not very alluring."

Chris Parsons noticed that he had the full attention of the committee and started to present his plan in detail. The prospect of getting a doctor from such a prestigious family flattered the committee members, and soon, the resistance wore off.

At the end of the meeting, they could all agree to give the new locum a try, and to see how the recovery and re-training of Dr. Ellingham progressed and then meet again in six months to decide if Chris Parsons' proposition was working or if they had to correct their line of action.

To be continued…