A junior doctor has been suspended for 12 months after she brazenly lied to the NHS, claiming she attended a mandatory training day while she was actually walking down the aisle of her own wedding.
Dr Preethi Suresh, a cardiology trainee at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), ‘dishonestly’ filled out attendance forms and uploaded a certificate to her professional portfolio to make it look like she had completed the session.
The training fell on February 29, 2024, right in the middle of her booked wedding leave between February 26 and March 1.
Her supervisor spotted Dr Suresh’s deceitful move after they noticed she was booked on leave and not on training.
Despite her confession, the trainee cardiologist claimed she ‘hit the panic button’ because she was in a ‘chaotic state of mind’ and was worried she wasn’t going to meet the training day requirements.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal found she had committed serious misconduct, leading to a year-long suspension from her work.
The tribunal also heard she received a previous Medical Practitioners Tribunal warning in December 2021, also relating to dishonest conduct.
Dr Suresh qualified as a doctor from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India, in 2016. At the time of the incident, she was working as a postgraduate doctor in the cardiology training programme at NNUH.
Junior doctor Dr Preethi Suresh has been suspended for 12 months after she brazenly lied to the NHS , claiming she attended a mandatory training day while she was actually walking down the aisle of her own wedding (stock photo)
The training courses were part of the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) process and trainees were informed that attendance at approximately 60 per cent of sessions was expected.
Attendees were required to register attendance on two QR codes via WhatsApp on the training day – and also asked to leave feedback.
Dr Suresh filled out both forms and uploaded the certificate to her profile, claiming she had completed the training day.
However Professor Vassilios Vassiliou, consultant cardiologist at the Norfolk University Hospital, noticed Dr Suresh was not present on the day despite stating she was.
This led to him questioning the trainee doctor, who instantly confessed and later said she ‘immediately knew it was wrong’ and said she was in a ‘chaotic state of mind’ in the run-up to her wedding. She then removed the certificate from her portfolio.
Giving evidence at the hearing, Dr Suresh said she struggled to attend training sessions because she was on-call and tried to attend after doing night shifts but was left exhausted.
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She said she wrongly believed she needed to achieve 70 per cent attendance at training days and thought, based on her own calculations, she was falling short.
It turned out she was actually well above the required attendance at the time and just needed to ask for clarification.
The tribunal chair Emma Gilberthorpe said: ‘[Dr Suresh] described her actions as seriously dishonest but said that, when she carried them out, it felt like a single act aimed at obtaining the Certificate, rather than a series of separate actions.
‘She accepted that this did not excuse her conduct.
‘Dr Suresh accepted that her actions were dishonest and that there would be understandable scepticism given her previous MPT warning for dishonesty.
‘She said she understood why colleagues, supervisors and the Tribunal might question whether she could be trusted in future. She stated that one dishonest act could damage years of trust and reputation.
‘She said that, in both instances, she had “pressed the panic button” and had taken a dishonest short-term option rather than pausing, thinking properly and seeking support.
‘She accepted full responsibility and said she was not seeking to blame colleagues, the training programme, her wedding or any other external factor.’
A representative of the General Medical Council said Dr Suresh’s actions were done ‘intentionally’ and for ‘professional benefit’.
The hearing placed her misconduct in the highest level of seriousness and she was suspended for 12 months, with a review hearing at the end of her suspension.
Ms Gilberthorpe said: ‘The Tribunal considered that there were several dishonest acts within the incident itself, which occurred in a workplace setting.
‘The Tribunal accepted that Dr Suresh did not ultimately derive the benefit she sought because the conduct was identified before it could progress further.
‘However, it considered that the potential benefit was significant.
‘At the time she acted, Dr Suresh believed the Certificate and attendance record were important for meeting training requirements and intended to rely upon them if necessary.
‘The Tribunal considered that her intention was to deceive in order to secure a professional advantage connected to her training progression.
‘The Tribunal took into account Dr Suresh’s personal circumstances at the time, including the pressures associated with her upcoming wedding.
‘However, it agreed with the GMC’s submission that these circumstances did not sufficiently mitigate the seriousness of the dishonesty.
‘The Tribunal considered that Dr Suresh appeared susceptible to personal stress and accepted that she had been working hard and under pressure.
‘Nevertheless, it concluded that the personal stressors identified did not justify or materially lessen the seriousness of the conduct.
‘The Tribunal concluded that there is a risk to patient safety because dishonest conduct occurring within a professional context could undermine trust in professional records, training systems and clinical practice.’
A spokesperson for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust declined to comment.
