A Scots doctor of 34 years has been suspended for 12 months after falsifying patients' medical records and misleading colleagues to further her medical career.
Dr Sureshini Sanders' behaviour was described as "deplorable" by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service at a hearing on February 9, amounting to "serious misconduct".
The former GP was working at West Calder Medical Practice between June 2017 and May 2018 when she trialled an ultrasound scanner on a number of patients.
The West Lothian practice agreed on the basis she would refer all patients she scanned to hospital for follow-up scans and inform them they were being scanned as part of a study.
However, of the 16 patients referred to by Dr Sanders in her report ‘Scanning in the Community 2018’, the medical records of nine patients have not been found.
She also falsely listed five patients having been referred for more detailed scanning in hospital, when only two were referred, with one additional patient.
Dr Sanders "dishonestly" amended the medical records of two patients saying they had been scanned knowing they hadn't.
And, also added the names of two co-authors to her report - known as Mr Q and Mr R - although they had no involvement in the study.
Mr Kenneth Hamer, MPTS tribunal chair, said: "Given the multiple and significant breaches of GMP and the Good practice guidance, and in particular the dishonesty found, the Tribunal was satisfied that fellow practitioners would consider Dr Sanders’ actions to be deplorable.
"Dr Sanders accepted that the Tribunal’s findings of dishonesty amount to serious and deplorable misconduct.
"The Tribunal determined that Dr Sanders’ conduct fell so far short of the standards of conduct reasonably to be expected so as to amount to serious misconduct.
"Throughout, it was the Tribunal’s view that Dr Sanders aimed to enhance her medical career by writing the Report.
"Multiple findings of dishonesty, are so serious that a finding of impairment is necessary."
Dr Sanders first qualified in medicine in 1988 from the University of Glasgow and went on to train in General Practice.
She worked as a full-time partner in Livingston, from 1992 to 2013 before leaving her GP role to become a Community Geriatrician and relinquishing her name on the Performers List - a register of approved GPs working in primary care for the NHS.
However, despite knowing she was no longer on the Performers List, the tribunal found that she had continued to work for West Calder Medical Practice, among her failings.
The doctor, who has continued to work on the stroke team at St John’s Hospital in Livingston, said she had a number of personal problems in her life at the time of the events and felt unsupported at St Michael’s Hospital, Linlithgow, where she was also working.
Mr Hamer added: "Dr Sanders has accepted that she failed in her duty to the patients she was looking after and let down the partners at the Practice, and says that she deeply regrets her actions and all the stress it has caused to those involved.
"The Tribunal also agrees that Dr Sanders had no intention of causing harm to any patient.
"She has been practicing for 34 years and this is the first occasion where she has had to come before her regulator.
"However, the Tribunal does not get a sense from her evidence that Dr
Sanders recognises or really appreciates the gravity of her actions and that public confidence in the medical profession has been undermined by her actions."
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