Before Christmas last year, Finn Skårderud lost his authorization and the right to practice as a doctor and psychiatrist, after several notices against him from former patients. Skårderud has appealed the decision.
In addition, there is another police case against him that has not yet been decided.
Skårderud was reported to the police by Hilde Rød-Larsen and former patient Victoria Nordberg.
The public prosecutor has now transferred the case to Hilde Rød-Larsen, NRK can confirm.
The public prosecutor has not yet reached a decision in Victoria Nordberg’s case.
– The State Attorney’s decision is a final end point for Hilde Rød-Larsen’s legal proceedings against the psychiatrist. The background for the dismissal is that the relationship is simply not punishable, says Skårderud’s lawyer, Halvard Helle, to NRK.
He says that Skårderud in the Hilde Rød-Larsen case has been exposed to serious allegations with tremendous force.
– For the psychiatrist, this means a full legal clean-up, says Helle.
Legal aid lawyer Mette Yvonne Larsen represents Rød-Larsen in the case.
– The submission also shows the Health Authority’s criticism of Skårderud, where the sexual intercourse is depicted as unwise and unreflective. So that this should be a complete clean-washing of him means that I have to assume that lawyer Helle has a different perception of that concept than I do, says Larsen.
LOST AUTHORIZATION: Finn Skårderud.
Photo: Tor G. Stenersen / Aftenposten
Reported for abuse of power
Hilde Rød-Larsen reported Skårderud for abuse of her position of power after Penal Code § 295.
Rød-Larsen and Skårderud have always agreed that there has not been a patient-therapist relationship between the two.
But Rød-Larsen has maintained that Skårderud abused his position as a psychiatrist to have sex with her when she was ill with an eating disorder.
In Rød-Larsen’s report to the police it states, among other things:
“There has not been a formal patient relationship with Skårderud treating and Rød-Larsen as patient. The provisions of § 295 letter a nevertheless also cover abuse of relationships of dependence or trust. ‘Relationship of dependence’ includes various forms of personal dependence on the perpetrator.”
Skårderud has always opposed the debts. He has complained about the Norwegian Health Authority’s decision to take away his authorisation.
– Substantial lack of professional insight
The state administrator in Oslo and Viken opened supervision of Skårderud in January 2023. In June, the first supervision cases were sent to the Norwegian Health Authority.
In December 2023, his medical authorization was taken from him.
The Norwegian Health Authority believed that Skårderud had acted contrary to what is properly in the Health Personnel Act for a total of 11 patients.
Skårderud lost the opportunity to treat patients as a psychiatrist.
They reasoned this with “significant lack of professional insight”, “irresponsible operations”, “significant breaches of duty”, and due to “behavior which is considered to be inconsistent with professional practice”.
This is what the Norwegian Health Authority wrote to Skårderud
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In the decision, which is written in du form, it is stated that the Norwegian Health Authority sees a pattern that has characterized Skårderud’s professional practice over a long period of time.
– The National Health Inspectorate believes that the deficiencies in health care related to several key aspects such as history taking, evaluation, treatment planning, follow-up, requisitioning of addictive drugs, record keeping and understanding of roles are extensive, recurring and serious.
In the decision, they write that healthcare personnel who have had behavior that violates intimacy and have a deficient understanding of their role will have a lack of trust with future patients.
– In your statements on the matter linked to your understanding of your role, you have maintained that you could not, or should not, have acted differently. Overall, we believe there is a risk that you will insist on your flawed and irresponsible professional practice towards future patients and will also not be able to distinguish between your professional and your private role.
After the New Year, Skårderud complained to the National Complaints Agency for the Health Service.
He believes that he is not unfit to practice the profession of doctor, nor does he pose a risk to patient safety.
The complaint has not yet been dealt with.
Helfo investigates payments
After he lost his authorisation, Helfo opened a so-called follow-up inspection against Skårderud.
They are investigating, following a tip from the police, whether he may have received payments from the state to which he is not entitled, for treatment hours that should not have taken place.
Between 2018 and 2022, Skårderud was paid NOK 6.12 million for treating patients on behalf of the public sector.
Skårderud was asked to submit documentation of the patient treatments.
– Helfo control is now at an initial clarification stage in the control, says section manager Cecilie Eriksen Brodal.