Experts have criticised the General Medical Council (GMC) for not taking action against a Cardiff GP who was criticised for promoting health pills in adverts described as "dangerously misleading" and for offering intravenous "wellness" drips in a city centre cocktail bar.
Last year, WalesOnline revealed concerns over the social media activity of Dr Paul O'Connell and a company he co-founded, Physical Nutrition (also known as Nutritional Sciences Ltd), which in its latest accounts registered some £2.1m in annual profit. The 54-year-old locum GP helped promote the firm in social media videos extolling its "blood sugar formula" and supplements for "prostate health" and "joint health".
Prostate Cancer UK branded the claims "dangerously misleading". The GMC is now facing criticism after deciding not to take action against the doctor, while the NHS has said he co-operated with its "recommendations" and is able to practise unrestricted.
Advertising watchdog findings
In 2024, an advertising watchdog found Physical Nutrition had breached regulations by claiming its pills could "reverse years of arthritis" and by falsely characterising Dr O'Connell as the NHS' leading joint expert. A year later, WalesOnline revealed the business had continued to make misleading claims about medical conditions, some of which had the potential to be catastrophic for people's health, according to experts.
Our reporting led to an investigation by Cardiff and Vale university health board, where Dr O'Connell is registered as a GP, and the GMC also looked into the concerns. But the GMC decided the concerns did not "meet the threshold" for a formal investigation, sparking condemnation from HealthSense, a charity that campaigns for evidence-based healthcare.
"My experience is that the GMC will typically only act if there has been a complaint from a patient," said Les Rose, a retired clinical research scientist and a trustee of the charity. "There is this idea of 'patient harm', which can be very difficult to prove. But social media misinformation is a huge problem and it creates the potential for significant harm."
IV drips in a cocktail bar
WalesOnline also revealed concerns over Dr O'Connell's "wellness" company, OCB Aesthetics, which offered injections of Botox and fillers as well as "intravenous nutrition therapy". The company's marketing for events in 2023 showed it was charging clients £185 for sessions where they would be hooked up to a drip for an IV "infusion".
One of the venues for these events was the Libertine cocktail bar in Cardiff High Street, where Dr O'Connell hung drip bags from coat pegs and offered a "menu" of infusions, including one called About Last Night, which promised to "wave goodbye to that post-party slump".
"The whole thing made me feel very uncomfortable," said an NHS source. "Injecting in a bar setting felt wholly inappropriate and unprofessional. You'd expect surgeries or clinics where people insert cannulas for IV drips to be deep-cleaned to a healthcare standard, so there are certainly questions over the infection risk of injecting in a bar."
Concerns over supplements
The Essex GP Dr John Cormack, who first brought the ads to WalesOnline's attention, felt the videos could lead to diabetics thinking they could stop taking insulin injections. He was alarmed to see one Facebook user had commented on a video: "Do you quit diabetic medication when using this medicine?"
Dr Wendy Holden, a consultant rheumatologist, claimed there was "absolutely no evidence" the pills could help regenerate cartilage. She also pointed out the company's pills contained ingredients that the medical body NICE stated should not be used as relief for arthritis symptoms.
Dr O'Connell said: "The GMC and NHS Wales have thoroughly investigated these matters under their own processes and closed their investigations with no further action. I would like to put this time behind me and move forward."
HealthSense trustee Les Rose said journalism is "vastly more effective at addressing this behaviour than the regulators". He added that the GMC should have to publish reasons for its decisions and justify why it has not acted on rulings from other regulators.
