St Albans doctor suspended after inappropriate relationship with patient
The General Medical Council’s code sets out doctors must not “pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship with a current patient”.
A St Albans doctor who accessed his vulnerable partner’s medical records without good reason has been suspended from the profession.
Dr Itrat Khan was in a sexual or emotional relationship with “Patient B” and prescribed medication to them three times, a medical tribunal found.
Dr Khan admitted the incidents took place between July 18, 2018 and January 30, 2019, and the tribunal comprising two lay members and a medical professional found the allegations “proved”.
The panel accepted Dr Khan entered into a relationship with his then-partner – who he knew had a history of drug addiction and depression – before they became one of his patients.
But the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice code sets out doctors must not “pursue a sexual or improper emotional relationship with a current patient”.
To “promote and maintain public confidence in the medical profession” and “promote and maintain proper professional standards and conduct for members of the profession”, the panel ruled Dr Khan should face a six-month suspension.
In making its decision, the tribunal received a reflective statement from Dr Khan.
He recalled Patient B asking him to become their GP.
Dr Khan told them he would not treat them or prescribe new medicine in any way.
He said: “I wanted to help Patient B in any way I could.
“I saw them going downhill and wanted to support them in getting help, whilst staying on the right side of my professional obligations.
“I wanted to ‘help from the wings’ but made it clear to them that I wouldn’t do anything in breach of my professional obligations.
“Evidently I’ve made a series of mistakes about where that line was, but I can honestly say that at the time I was trying to do the right thing personally and professionally.”
Dr Khan added he didn’t think what he was doing “would count as ‘prescription’” but acknowledged a member of the public might feel as though Patient B were “jumping the queue” to access treatment.
Setting out its decision, a report by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) reads: “Dr Khan was in an intimate relationship with Patient B who was vulnerable and Dr Khan was aware of that.
“Dr Khan’s misconduct occurred over a sustained period of time and on a number of occasions.
“Dr Khan demonstrated a lack of integrity.”
The tribunal “acknowledged that he had genuine personal difficulties at the time of his misconduct”.
The report reads: “Dr Khan has an unblemished career, practising as a GP since 1988.
“Dr Khan has no previous fitness to practise history and he expressed regret and apologised for his actions.”
Additional allegations that Dr Khan assaulted a patient were found not proved.