Case 1

Summary

The doctor was admonished by a Medical Council outside the UK for pursuing an inappropriate relationship with a vulnerable psychiatric patient.

Relevant paragraphs of Good Medical Practice

The case relates to the Relationships with patients section of GMP, specifically paragraph 32 on maintaining trust in the profession. It also relates to the Probity section, specifically paragraphs 56 and 57 on being honest and trustworthy.

Determination on impaired fitness to practise

The Panel has now considered, on the basis of facts found proved, whether Dr X's fitness to practise is impaired, pursuant to section 35C(2)(e) of the Medical Act 1983 as amended, namely by reason of a determination by the X Medical Council to the effect that his actions amounted to professional misconduct.

The Panel has given detailed consideration to the evidence submitted, based upon the transcripts of the proceedings before the X Medical Council on [date]. It has noted the contents of text messages which passed between Dr X in [date] and a patient, Ms T, who had been under his care for a considerable period of time up to the termination of his contract in [date]. It also took account of the correspondence between Dr X and the X Medical Council and the report by Dr L [date] which was submitted to the X Medical Council Fitness to Practise Committee. The Panel has heard and accepts the evidence of Ms T's extreme vulnerability as a consequence of her social, medical and psychiatric history. That vulnerability would have been known to Dr X, even if he was not fully aware of the entirety of her history.