THE inquiry into disgraced psychiatrist William Kerr is being asked to investigate Evening Press revelations that a complainant was interviewed alone by the doctor - and then withdrew the complaint.

A panel was appointed by the Government on Friday to examine how the NHS handled complaints against the retired York consultant, and also another former psychiatrist, Michael Haslam.

Now a group of former Kerr patients, headed by Kathy Haq, is submitting a series of requests to the inquiry team, which is to be headed by barrister Nigel Pleming QC.

The submission includes a chronicle of complaints made by former patients and other health services staff between 1969 to 1995 against Dr Kerr, who was placed on the sex offenders' register in 2000 after a jury found that he indecently assaulted a former patient.

The patients are asking for a number of former doctors, nurses and senior health authority administrators to be questioned by the panel, including the former district general manager of the former York Health Authority, Stuart Ingham, and the former chief executive of York NHS Trust, Peter Kennedy.

They have also submitted 12 basic questions which they feel still need to be answered.

One relates to an exclusive report in the Evening Press in 1997 that Dr Kerr was allowed to interview a woman patient on a one-to-one basis in the early 1980s after she had lodged a complaint. She subsequently withdrew the complaint.

A letter from Mr Ingham, passed to the paper, showed that he considered this to be a quite acceptable situation.

It stated that the relationship between a consultant psychiatrist and a patient was such that it had been "within the bounds of reasonableness" for a consultant to see such a complainant alone.

"Thus, whilst a member of staff of another discipline who interviews a patient alone in such circumstances would lay themselves open to criticism, the same cannot be said about consultant psychiatrists.

"The relationship between a consultant psychiatrist and a patient is different, in kind, to the relationship between any other member of staff and a patient."

However, he also said the patient had stated that she had withdrawn her complaint after she realised the seriousness with which it was being taken, and the consequences which would follow.

In 1994, Dr Kennedy, then chief executive of the York Trust, said in another letter that there had been a very thorough investigation into allegations by patients and the conclusion had been reached that there was no basis on which to pursue disciplinary or legal action.

The ex-patients ask why Kerr was allowed to interview the patient alone and who allowed it.

Updated: 11:26 Monday, February 04, 2002