(1 of 4)
Effective September 18, 2020, Dr. George Gale (CPSO # 23958) was unable to obtain a clinical supervisor and will cease to practice until such time as a clinical supervisor has been approved.
(2 of 4)
As from, August 10, 2020, by order of the Discipline Committee of the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the following terms, conditions and
limitations are imposed on the certificate of registration held by Dr. George
Douglas Gale:
a) Clinical Supervision
i. Within thirty (30) days of this Order, at his own expense, Dr. Gale
shall retain a College-approved clinical supervisor (the "Clinical
Supervisor") who shall sign an undertaking in the form attached
hereto as Schedule "A".
ii. Commencing on the date of this Order and continuing until the end
of the six (6) month period of Moderate-Level Supervision set forth
in paragraph 3.c) below, Dr. Gale shall practise only under the
supervision of the Clinical Supervisor.
iii. Clinical Supervision of Dr. Gale's practice shall contain the
elements set forth in paragraphs 3.b) through 3.d) below.
b) Reduced Practice Clinical Supervision
i. Initially and until Dr. Gale starts to see more than ten (10)
patients per week, by way of telemedicine or otherwise, Dr. Gale
shall practice only under Reduced Practice Clinical Supervision,
during which time the Clinical Supervisor shall, at minimum:
1. Review materials provided by the College and have an
initial telephone or secure electronic video conference
with Dr. Gale to discuss practice improvement
recommendations;
2. Thereafter, once every month: (a) review all charts
for the patients with whom Dr. Gale consulted over the
preceding month; and (b) meet with Dr. Gale, in person,
by telephone or secure video conference, to discuss any
issues or concerns arising from the chart reviews;
3. Provide reports to the College once every month, or
more frequently if the Clinical Supervisor has concerns
about Dr. Gale's standard of practice or conduct;
4. Discuss with Dr. Gale any concerns the Clinical
Supervisor may have arising from his discussions with
Dr. Gale and chart reviews;
5. Make recommendations for practice improvements and
ongoing professional development, and inquire into Dr.
Gale's compliance with any recommendations; and
6. Keep a log of all patient charts reviewed along with
patient identifiers.
ii. Dr. Gale shall provide the College with at least seven (7) days'
written notice of Dr. Gale's intention to see more than ten (10)
patients per week by way of telemedicine or otherwise ("Dr. Gale's
Return to Active Practice").
c) Modrate-Level Clinical Supervision
i. Commencing from Dr. Gale's Return to Active Practice and continuing
for a period of six (6) months, Dr. Gale shall practise only under
Moderate-Level Clinical Supervision, during which time the Clinical
Supervisor shall, at minimum:
1. Meet with Dr. Gale once every two (2) weeks, at Dr. Gale's
Practice Location or another location approved by the
College, to review a minimum of fifteen (15) charts, to be
selected in the sole discretion of the Clinical Supervisor,
and discuss any issues or concerns arising therefrom with Dr.
Gale;
2. Provide reports to the College once per month, or more
frequently if the Clinical Supervisor has concerns about Dr.
Gale's standard of practice or conduct;
3. Discuss with Dr. Gale any concerns the Clinical Supervisor
may have arising from his meetings with Dr. Gale and chart
reviews;
4. Make recommendations for practice improvements and ongoing
professional development, and inquire into Dr. Gale's
compliance with any recommendations; and
5. Keep a log of all patient charts reviewed along with patient
identifiers.
d) Other Elements of Clinical Supervision
i. Throughout the period of Clinical Supervision, Dr. Gale shall abide
by the recommendations of the Clinical Supervisor, including but
not limited to, any recommended practice improvements and ongoing
professional development.
ii. If a Clinical Supervisor who has given an undertaking as set out in
Schedule "A" to this Order is unable or unwilling to continue to
fulfill its terms, Dr. Gale shall, within twenty (20) days of
receiving notice of same, obtain an executed undertaking in the
same form from a person who is acceptable to the College and ensure
that it is delivered to the College within that time.
iii. If Dr. Gale is unable to obtain a Clinical Supervisor in accordance
with this Order, he shall cease to practice until such time as he
has done so and this shall constitute a term, condition or
limitation on his certificate of registration and that term,
condition or limitation shall be included on the public register.
iv. Dr. Gale shall consent to the disclosure by his Clinical Supervisor
to the College, and by the College to his Clinical Supervisor, of
all information the Clinical Supervisor or the College deems
necessary or desirable in order to fulfill the Clinical
Supervisor's undertaking and Dr. Gale's compliance with this Order.
e) Re-Assessment
i. Approximately three (3) months after the completion of the period
of Clinical Supervision set out above, Dr. Gale shall undergo a
re-assessment of his practice, at his own expense, by a
College-appointed assessor (the "Assessor(s)). The Assessor(s)
shall report the results of the re-assessment to the College.
ii. Dr. Gale shall cooperate fully with the Reassessment and with the
Assessor(s). Dr. Gale shall consent to the disclosure to the
Assessor(s) of the reports of the Clinical Supervisor arising from
the supervision, and shall consent to the sharing of all
information between the Clinical Supervisor, the Assessor(s) and
the College, as the College deems necessary or desirable in order
to fulfill their respective obligations.
f) Monitoring
i. Dr. Gale shall inform the College of each and every location where
he practices, in any jurisdiction (his "Practice Location(s)")
within five (5) days of this Order and shall inform the College of
any and all new Practice Locations within five (5) days of
commencing practice at that location.
ii. Dr. Gale shall cooperate with unannounced inspections of his
practice and patient charts by one or more College
representative(s) for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing his
compliance with the terms of this Order.
iii. Dr. Gale shall consent to the College's making appropriate
enquiries of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan and/or any person or
institution that may have relevant information, in order for the
College to monitor and enforce his compliance with the terms of
this Order.
iv. Dr. Gale shall be responsible for any and all costs associated with
implementing the terms of this Order.
(3 of 4)
As from August 6, 2020, the following is imposed as terms, conditions and
limitations on the certificate of registration held by Dr. George Douglas Gale
in accordance with an undertaking and consent given by Dr. Gale to the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario:
UNDERTAKING, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CONSENT
("Undertaking")
of
DR. GEORGE DOUGLAS GALE
("Dr. Gale")
to
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO
(the "College")
A. PREAMBLE
(1) In this Undertaking:
"Code" means the Health Professions Procedural Code, which is Schedule 2
to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, S.O. 1991, c. 18, as
amended;
"Discipline Committee" means the Discipline Committee of the College;
"ICR Committee" means the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee of
the College;
"OHIP" means the Ontario Health Insurance Plan;
"Public Register" means the College's register that is available to the
public.
(2) I, Dr. Gale, certificate of registration number 23958, am a member of the
College.
(3) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that the ICR Committee referred allegations of
professional misconduct and incompetence against me to the Discipline
Committee in a Notice of Hearing dated September 27, 2019.
(4) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that since November 14, 2019, I have not
performed any interventional pain procedures as set out in Appendix "A"
to this Undertaking.
B. UNDERTAKING
(5) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to abide by the provisions of this Undertaking,
effective immediately.
(6) Practice Restrictions
(a) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to restrict my practice as follows:
(i) I will not perform any interventional pain procedures as set
out at Appendix "A" to this Undertaking.
(7) Monitoring
(a) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to inform the College of each and every
location where I practise or have privileges, including, but not
limited to, any hospitals, clinics, offices, and any Independent
Health Facilities with which I am affiliated, in any jurisdiction
(collectively my "Practice Location" or "Practice Locations"),
within five (5) days of executing this Undertaking. Going forward,
I further undertake to inform the College of any and all new
Practice Locations within five (5) days of commencing practice at
that location.
(b) I, Dr. Gale, undertake that I will submit to, and not interfere
with, unannounced inspections of my Practice Locations and patient
charts by a College representative for the purposes of monitoring
my compliance with the provisions of this Undertaking.
(c) Dr. Gale, give my irrevocable consent to the College to make
appropriate enquiries of OHIP, and/or any person or institution
that may have relevant information, in order for the College to
monitor my compliance with the provisions of this Undertaking.
(d) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that I have executed the OHIP consent
form, attached hereto as Appendix "B".
C. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
(8) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that all appendices attached to or referred to
in this Undertaking form part of this Undertaking.
(9) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge and undertake that I shall be solely responsible
for payment of all fees, costs, charges, expenses, etc. arising from the
implementation of any of the provisions of this Undertaking.
(10) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that I have read and understand the provisions
of this Undertaking and that I have obtained independent legal counsel in
reviewing and executing this Undertaking, or have waived my right to do
so.
(11) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that the College will provide this Undertaking
to any Chief of Staff, or a colleague with similar responsibilities, at
any Practice Location ("Chief of Staff" or "Chiefs of Staff").
(12) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that a breach by me of any provision of this
Undertaking may constitute an act of professional misconduct and/or
incompetence, and may result in a referral of specified allegations to
the Discipline Committee.
(13) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that this Undertaking constitutes terms,
conditions, or limitations on my certificate of registration for the
purposes of section 23 of the Code.
(14) Public Register
(a) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that, during the time period that this
Undertaking remains in effect, this Undertaking shall be posted on
the Public Register.
(b) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that, in addition to this Undertaking
being posted in accordance with section (14)(a) above, the
following summary shall be posted on the Public Register during the
time period that this Undertaking remains in effect:
Dr. Gale was referred to the Discipline Committee on allegations of
professional misconduct and incompetence. In the face of these
allegations, Dr. Gale agreed that he will not perform any
interventional pain procedures as set out in Appendix "A" to his
Undertaking.
D. CONSENT
(15) I, Dr. Gale, give my irrevocable consent to the College to provide all
Chiefs of Staff with any information the College has that led to the
circumstances of my entering into this Undertaking and/or any information
arising from the monitoring of my compliance with this Undertaking.
(16) I, Dr. Gale, give my irrevocable consent to all Chiefs of Staff to
disclose to the College, and to one another, any information relevant to
this Undertaking and/or relevant for the purposes of monitoring my
compliance with this undertaking.
(4 of 4)
As from May 9, 2020, the following are imposed as terms, conditions and
limitations on the certificate of registration held by Dr. George Douglas Gale
in accordance with an undertaking and consent given by Dr. Gale to the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario:
UNDERTAKING, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CONSENT
("Undertaking")
of
DR. GEORGE DOUGLAS GALE
("Dr. Gale")
to
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO
(the "College")
A. PREAMBLE
(1) In this Undertaking:
"Code" means the Health Professions Procedural Code, which is
Schedule 2
to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, S.O. 1991, c.
18, as
amended;
"NMS" means the Drug Program Services Branch, the Narcotics
Monitoring
System implemented under the Narcotics Safety and Awareness
Act, 2010,
S.O. 2010, c. 22, as amended;
"OHIP" means the Ontario Health Insurance Plan;
"Public Register" means the College's register that is
available to the
public.
(2) I, Dr. Gale, certificate of registration number 23958, am a
member of the
College.
(3) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that the College conducted an
investigation
bearing File Number 1104917 (the "Investigation") into
whether I engaged
in professional misconduct and/or am incompetent in my
general medicine
practice, including in my delegation to non-members.
B. UNDERTAKING
(4) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to abide by the provisions of this
Undertaking,
effective immediately.
(5) Practice Restriction
(a) I, Dr. Gale, undertake that I will cease all practice
relating to
Cannabis, as defined in the Cannabis Act, S.C. 2018, c.
16, and
regulations made thereunder, including, without
limiting the
generality of this restriction,
(i) The prescription, dispensing or administration of
Cannabis;
(ii) Signing medical documents pursuant to the
Cannabis
Regulations, SOR/2018-144, or any equivalent
documents
pursuant to such statutues or regulations as may
be in effect
from time to time (collectively "Cannabis
documents"), or
participating in any way in the preparation,
issuance or
support of Cannabis documents, except for the
sole and
limited purpose of referring patients to other
healthcare
providers;
(iii) Any counselling, assessment or treatment of
patients that in
any way relates to Cannabis, except for the sole
purposes of
referring patients to other healthcare providers
for such
counselling, assessment or treatment.
(6) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to inform the College of each and
every location
at which I practise or have privileges, including, but not
limited to,
any hospitals, clinics, offices, and any Independent Health
Facilities
with which I am affiliated, in any jurisdiction (collectively
my
"Practice Location" or "Practice Locations"), within five (5)
days of
executing this Undertaking. Going forward, I further
undertake to inform
the College of any and all new Practice Locations within five
(5) days of
commencing practice at that location.
(7) Posting a Sign
(a) I, Dr. Gale, undertake that I shall post a sign in all
waiting
rooms in all my Practice Locations, in a clearly
visible and secure
location, in the form set out at Appendix "A". For
further
clarity, this sign shall state as follows:
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Dr. Gale is prohibited from practising in relation to
Cannabis,
including:
(i) The prescription, dispensing or administration of
Cannabis;
(ii) Signing medical documents pursuant to the
Cannabis
Regulations, SOR/2018-144, or any equivalent
documents, or
participating in any way in the preparation,
issuance or
support of Cannabis documents, except for the
sole and
limited purpose of referring patients to other
healthcare
providers;
(iii) Any counselling, assessment or treatment of
patients that in
any way relates to Cannabis, except for the sole
purposes of
referring patients to other healthcare providers
for such
counselling, assessment or treatment.
Further information may be found on the College of Physicians
and
Surgeons of Ontario website at www.cpso.on.ca
(b) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to post a certified translation
in any
language in which I provide services, of the sign
described in
section (8)(a) above, in all waiting rooms in all my
Practice
Locations, in a clearly visible and secure location, in
the form
set out at Appendix "A".
(c) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to provide the certified
translation
described in section (8)(b), to the College within
thirty (30) days
of executing this Undertaking.
(d) I, Dr. Gale, undertake that if I elect, after the
execution of this
Undertaking, to provide services in any other language,
I will
notify the College prior to providing any such
services.
(e) I, Dr. Gale, undertake to provide to the College the
certified
translation described in section (8)(c) prior to
beginning to
provide services in any language described in section
(8)(d).
C. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
(8) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that all schedules attached to or
referred to in
this Undertaking form part of this Undertaking.
(9) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge and undertake that I shall be solely
responsible
for payment of all fees, costs, charges, expenses, etc.
arising from the
implementation of any of the provisions of this Undertaking.
(10) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that I have read and understand the
provisions
of this Undertaking and that I have obtained independent
legal counsel in
reviewing and executing this Undertaking, or have waived my
right to do
so.
(11) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that the College will provide this
Undertaking
to any Chief of Staff, or a colleague with similar
responsibilities, at
any Practice Location ("Chief of Staff" or "Chiefs of
Staff").
(12) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that a breach by me of any provision
of this
Undertaking may constitute an act of professional misconduct
and/or
incompetence, and may result in a referral of specified
allegations to
the Discipline Committee.
(13) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that this Undertaking constitutes
terms,
conditions, and limitations on my certificate of registration
for the
purposes of section 23 of the Code.
(14) Public Register
(a) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that, during the time period
that this
Undertaking remains in effect, this Undertaking shall
be posted on
the Public Register.
(b) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that, in addition to this
Undertaking
being posted in accordance with section (15)(a) above,
the
following summary shall be posted on the Public
Register during the
time period that this Undertaking remains in effect:
A College investigation was conducted into
whether Dr. Gale
engaged in professional misconduct or is
incompetent in his
general medicine practice, including his
delegation to
non-members. As a result of the investigation,
Dr. Gale has
ceased all practice related to Cannabis.
Dr. Gale must post a clearly visible sign in the
waiting
rooms of all Practice Locations, which states as
follows:
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Dr. Gale is prohibited from practicing in relation to
Cannabis,
including:
(i) The prescription, dispensing or administration of
Cannabis;
(ii) Signing medical documents pursuant to the
Cannabis
Regulations, SOR/2018-144, or any equivalent
documents, or
participating in any way in the preparation,
issuance or
support of Cannabis documents, except for the
sole and
limited purpose of referring patients to other
healthcare
providers;
(iii) Any counselling, assessment or treatment of
patients that in
any way relates to Cannabis, except for the sole
purposes of
referring patients to other healthcare providers
for such
counselling, assessment or treatment.
Further information may be found on the College of
Physicians and
Surgeons of Ontario website at www.cpso.on.ca
D. CONSENT
(15) I, Dr. Gale, undertake that I will submit to, and not
interfere with,
unannounced inspections of my Practice Locations and
patient charts by
the College and to any other activity the College deems
necessary in
order to monitor my compliance with the provisions of this
Undertaking.
(16) I, Dr. Gale, give my irrevocable consent to the College to
make
appropriate enquiries of OHIP, NMS, and any person who or
institution
that may have relevant information, in order for the College
to monitor
my compliance with the provisions of this Undertaking.
(17) I, Dr. Gale, acknowledge that I have executed the OHIP and
NMS consent
forms, attached hereto as Appendix "B" and Appendix "C",
respectively.
(18) I, Dr. Gale, give my irrevocable consent to the College to
provide all
Chiefs of Staff with any information the College has that
led to the
circumstances of my entering into this Undertaking and any
information
arising from the monitoring of my compliance with this
Undertaking.