I’d read about social media pile-ons, but never been the focus of one. The dread, it’s a primal reaction, as though you’re being hunted in the open with nowhere to hide. Then you get waves of self-doubt, even though you know you’ve done nothing wrong – when the whole world seems to be questioning your professional ability, you can’t help but question it yourself. There’s also the anger at the unfairness of it all, and what it could mean for your career. And the worst thing of all is the grinding anxiety over the impact on your family – wanting to protect your children, but not being able to. An absolute nightmare for any parent.

I felt all of this on repeat for days. It was a grim carousel of deeply disturbing emotions.  

I’d always thought of myself as pretty steady mentally and emotionally, but the posts and comments shook me to my core. They just kept coming, attacking me not only professionally but personally. One person even said they hoped my wife would die so I could see how it felt.

I’d already been in touch with Medical Protection regarding my statement for the coroner. My Trust had confirmed they’d be representing me at the inquest, and I wasn’t unduly worried about giving evidence, as I knew that nothing I’d done had contributed to my patient’s death. But being called to appear in court is still extremely stressful, and my mind was all over the place. My medicolegal consultant saved me from a lot more stress by helping me prepare my statement. You wouldn’t believe the level of detail that’s needed, and there’s a structure you need to carefully follow – I would have been lost without him. And now I needed help with the social media storm too.

By the time I met my medicolegal consultant the next day, I’d made up my mind. More comments had been posted overnight. Two people in particular really had it in for me and were relentless in their attacks on my ability as a surgeon. With the inquest looming, I was worried about being hounded by the press, as well as the social media trolls. My reputation was on the line – my livelihood, my future. My kids were seeing the comments online – once they get to a certain age, you can’t stop that – and other kids were talking about it in school. It was terrible for them. I couldn’t protect them right now, but I could defend myself. I was going to sue for defamation.

My medicolegal consultant was not only extremely helpful on a practical front, he was also understanding and reassuring, which was equally if not more important. He started out by telling me it’s not uncommon for doctors to be singled out on social media, and immediately I felt less alone.

As a doctor himself, he completely understood how distressing the comments were. But he reminded me that professional standards restrict how we can respond, and that our duty of confidentiality continues even after death. I was glad of that reminder, as I’d come perilously close to responding, just to defend myself.

He talked me through the option of pursuing a defamation claim, explaining that for it to be successful, we’d need to show that the statements made would cause serious reputational harm. The threshold for establishing serious harm is very high, and substantial evidence of the damage is needed. In short, defamation cases are notoriously difficult to win.

He reassured me that in the grand scheme of things, social media comments about doctors aren’t generally of interest to the public. Also, crucially, that pursuing a defamation claim might well attract media attention itself, opening up the posts to a wider audience and even giving some validity to them. So a defamation action could actually do more damage to my reputation than the original comments.

He'd set up a call with Medical Protection’s specialist press team immediately after our meeting, and they were incredibly helpful and reassuring too. They coached me on how to respond to media requests and helped me prepare a statement to use if any journalists approached me – inquests are open hearings and it’s not unusual for journalists to attend, especially if the deceased was well-known or the cause of death seen as newsworthy.

The press team also took me through the steps for requesting removal of the social media comments. I had no idea this could even be done. It was heartening to learn that social platforms remove millions of abusive and harassing posts every year, as well as suspending the accounts of the people who make them.

I came out of those two meetings a different person. My Medical Protection team gave me the tools and the reassurance I needed, that was the transformative thing. I’d gone from feeling helpless to having some control back.  

It doesn’t always happen this way, but the social media platforms responded quickly, removing the posts and comments, and suspending the accounts of the worst offenders. After that, there was thankfully no more activity. At the inquest, the coroner was not critical of the care I’d provided, and to my great relief I wasn’t approached for comment by the press.

I now see my Medical Protection membership in a new light. There’s so much more for you as a member than just indemnity. The calm, reassuring support when you need it most, from experts who know what it is to be a doctor – people who are there for you when you’re feeling horribly alone – that’s just priceless.

Get protection you can depend on from just £549*

This case is based on a real scenario, with some facts altered to preserve confidentiality. Licensed stock imagery has been used for illustrative purposes only and to protect member confidentiality.

*Cost shown is the annual membership price for a UK medical consultant working exclusively in the NHS. Subject to protection requirements and underwriting approval.