A Southend Hospital doctor who accessed a woman’s medical records to find her home address and mobile phone number, before turning up at her home and asking if she lived alone, is still fit to practise, the General Medical Council has ruled.
However, the panel in central London gave Dr Nabeel Bin Afzal a formal warning and said his actions were inappropriate, an abuse of his professional position and undermined public confidence in the profession.
Dr Bin Afzal, a 33 year old father of three, denied charges of hugging the 61 year old woman after a heart scan at Southend Hospital on 8 May last year.
But the panel found he appeared in her garden later the same day to say there was “a lot” for them to talk about. He also asked her how she kept herself so fit.
The GMC said the doctor’s actions seemed to be an “isolated error of judgment” and it was satisfied that “it is very unlikely that such conduct will be repeated or that there is any risk to patients”.
The woman, from south Benfleet, who was named only as Patient A at the hearing, said the incident had left her so distressed she had not worked for five months.
The warning will be disclosed to employers, future employers and “to any other inquirer” for a period of five years, the GMC said.
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