Health / Former Brae GP struck off for dishonesty and professional misconduct
FORMER Brae GP Dr Paul Scott has been struck off the medical register after being found guilty of several counts of serious professional misconduct.
Dr Scott also admitted several charges of dishonesty during a hearing by the Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service (MPTS) in June.
The tribunal decided to impose an immediate suspension on Dr Scott’s registration.
Following several days of evidence the tribunal made its ruling on 19 June, with a lengthy statement detailing its findings published on the MPTS website today (Wednesday).
Dr Scott qualified as a GP in 1999 and worked in Shetland as a salaried GP until he became a partner in the Brae Health Centre.
From 2008 he also undertook medical examinations for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and carried out examinations for Oil & Gas UK between 2015 and 2019.
He was suspended by NHS Shetland pending an investigation into allegations of possible misconduct and retired from the NHS in 2021.
Dr Scott faced a total of 24 allegations – 12 of which he admitted and 11 of which were found proven, while one was not proven.
The tribunal found allegations of Dr Scott behaving aggressively towards a colleague at the Brae Health Centre on 3 January 2018 as proven, including shouting, backing her up against the wall, and telling her he would get rid of her.
The hearing also found allegations proven that Dr Scott was abusive in several phone calls to a different colleague, leaving her feeling threatened and intimidated, between 29 August and 6 September 2021.
He admitted carrying out statutory seafarer medical examinations at an address other than the Brae Health Centre, which were not registered for such work.
Dr Scott knew he was not authorised to do this work from a different location and, in December 2020, signed a document for the MCA in which he falsely recorded Brae as his only work address.
The tribunal said Dr Scott’s conduct with regards to these assessments jeopardised the safety of seafarers.
In its decision the tribunal’s panel wrote: “The tribunal accepted that the issue of certificates otherwise in strict compliance with the regulations was an extremely serious breach of trust and professional standards.”
A total of 39 examinations carried out by Dr Scott after April 2020 were found to be fraudulent in relation to the premises where they were undertaken.
It added: “The tribunal noted that there was evidence of persistent dishonesty, including a false representation made on 1 July, continuing over a period of 14 months.
“Although the financial gain obtained caused by this conduct was not specifically part of the allegation, the tribunal considered the deception involved, and the financial gain made by Dr Scott over the period, to be relevant.
“These serious breaches reflected poorly on his motivation and professional judgement.”
The tribunal also noted in evidence that Dr Scott’s accounts “suggested a selective memory” and said while this did not make him “entirely lacking in credibility”, the tribunal could not accept his evidence uncritically.
It concluded: “In all the circumstances, the tribunal determined to impose an immediate order of suspension on Dr Scott’s registration.
“The tribunal concluded that this was appropriate and necessary and was required to protect the public, maintain public confidence and uphold proper standards of conduct and behaviour.”
The full decision document can be found on the MPTS website here.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
