A YORK chiropractor whose patient died after suffering a broken neck during treatment has been cleared of professional misconduct.

The General Chiropractic Council's professional conduct committee examined Arleen Scholten's actions while treating retired bank manager John Lawler, 80, at the Chiropractor 1st clinic on The Mount in August 2017.

It said it was alleged that Mrs Scholten continued treatment and asked him to turn over on to his back after he had expressed discomfort and indicated he had a sensation of numbness in his arms, following a 'Drop Technique' treatment to his spine.

It said he became unresponsive and collapsed, and was taken by ambulance to hospital and passed away the next day. A post-mortem examination revealed he had suffered a broken neck and catastrophic damage to his spinal cord.

The committee said Mrs Scholten had, by her own admission, provided inaccurate and misleading information to a 999 call handler, to paramedics who arrived at the clinic and also in the patient's clinical records, and this was 'unprofessional.'

However, the committee accepted that none of this was done deliberately, or recklessly, and that the circumstances were exceptional, and it was likely she was suffering an 'acute stress reaction.'

"It was a fast moving, traumatic, unique set of events and the committee considered it was inevitable that Mrs Scholten would have been suffering from shock as a result of Patient A’s rapidly deteriorating condition, the need to give mouth to mouth resuscitation and to call for an ambulance.

"The committee was of the view that it was the impact of that combination of factors and the effects of the shock that influenced Mrs Scholten’s subsequent acts and omissions.”

"The committee considered there had been breaches of the code, those breaches occurred as a result of Mrs Scholten’s state of mind at the time and not as a result of a deliberate intention on her part to be inaccurate or misleading."

It said the committee was not satisfied that her behaviour amounted to unacceptable professional conduct.

The committee heard numerous character references to Mrs Scholten. A patient of five years said she believed her to be 'honest, truthful and extremely committed to chiropractic and the care of her patients.'

Another patient said: "She is committed to her profession as a chiropractic doctor and is passionate about the care and well-being of all her patients.”

A medical consultant who was also a patient of Mrs Scholten said she was 'honest and truthful and very committed to her profession as a chiropractor and to the care of her patients.'