Oxford-educated junior doctor suspended for moonlighting at a private cosmetic surgery clinic while signed off sick from his £35,000-a-year job is allowed back at the NHS

An Oxford-educated inferior expert suspended aft moonlighting astatine a backstage cosmetic surgery while signed disconnected sick from his £35,000-a-year occupation has been allowed backmost to nan NHS.

Dr Daniel Coventry, 34, was expected to beryllium disconnected activity astatine nan taxpayer's disbursal pinch a suspected microorganism but alternatively he was offering facial fillers, thread facelifts and anti-wrinkle jabs astatine a backstage session successful Brighton.

He was reported to his activity astatine Worthing Hospital successful West Sussex aft he was caught connected societal media and concerns had been raised pinch nan magnitude of sick time off he was taking.

But now he has been allowed backmost into nan NHS aft apologising for his 'arrogant' and 'idiotic behaviour' contempt being accused of being a 'maverick doctor' by nan General Medical Council.

During nan investigation, Coventry claimed location was 'no conflict of interest' successful doing backstage activity while disconnected sick and said he was 'not rostered' to activity NHS shifts. 

He subsequently near his occupation earlier nan GMC were capable to springiness him a last written warning.

In September past year, however, Coventry was suspended from aesculapian believe for six months aft being recovered blameworthy of superior master misconduct.

But past period astatine nan Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, his suspension was revoked and he was allowed to return to unrestricted aesculapian practise aft he apologised for his cognition and confessed to blaming his behaviour connected NHS 'failings'.

The General Medical Council had earlier called for him to stay suspended citing erstwhile grounds that it was up to his backstage patients to determine if he should dainty them whenever he was sick astatine work.

In a connection Coventry said he now accepted 'not having a limb to guidelines on' astatine nan 2023 proceeding and vowed successful early to beryllium 'toeing nan statement nary matter what nan argumentation is.' He besides said he would 'err connected nan broadside of caution' if he was unwell astatine activity successful early and travel infirmary rules connected treating patients.

He explained: 'My cognition during that proceeding was overly protect and connected reflection I americium rather embarrassed astir this. I deliberation that nan extent to which I worth being a expert led to an automatic desire to bat distant disapproval of my behaviour alternatively than judge work for what is specified an evident correction of judgement.

'During that proceeding I focused excessively overmuch connected my cognition of nan failures of nan spot and not capable connected my individual nonaccomplishment to familiarise myself pinch nan rules of nan trust. Whilst I judge that nan spot could person done much to support me, I besides judge that I should person done much to support myself and perfectly did carnivore nan work to do so.'

He added: 'The judgement was nan opening of my realisation that what I had done was superior and that labelling it simply a correction from deficiency of knowledge of nan norm was insufficient to remedy nan situation.

'It took handing down nan judgement for maine to admit conscionable really mediocre my behaviour had been. In bid to summation my penetration and study from this experience, I person publication nan panel's determination aggregate times pinch a overmuch little protect attitude.

'The suspension has provided an opportunity for important individual growth. Professionalism encompasses much than nan accomplishment to diagnose and treat. It includes trustworthiness. 

'To beryllium trustworthy requires a afloat knowing of nan model of nan infirmary setting, of rules and regulations, and simply not being alert of a regularisation is nary excuse for breaking it.

'I tin sorely opportunity I fell short of nan master standards of a doctor. Full penetration intends knowing really you affected different people.'

He said he had completed a free online 'Medical Professionalism' people to springiness him a 'better understanding' of dishonesty but did not undertake a circumstantial morals people arsenic he said these were 'in narration to patients.'

The moonlighting occurred complete a six play betwixt April and October 2018 conscionable a twelvemonth aft Coventry joined nan Western Sussex NHS Trust.

Concerns were raised that aforesaid twelvemonth astir nan magnitude of clip hey was taking disconnected and a advisor surgeon explicate nan HR procedures to him and he was advised to entree nan hospital's 'StaffNet' website to publication nan Trust's policies regarding sick leave.

But pursuing a worsening of Coventry's sickness absences a caller probe began successful 2019.

Investigators recovered posts connected societal media showing he had undertaken backstage artistic activity astatine 'A New You' session successful Brighton wherever look lifts costs up to £8,000 and tummy tucks costs up to £6,000.

In December of that twelvemonth he was recovered blameworthy of gross misconduct astatine an soul disciplinary proceeding but he had already near nan trust.

Lawyer for nan General Medical Council Ms Imaan Osman said: 'Dr Coventry has not accepted that his actions successful undertaking backstage activity whilst connected sick time off from nan Trust were dishonest. Rather his answers focused connected his amended knowing of dishonesty.

'He maintains he had not wilfully deceived anyone and says his behaviour and cognition astatine nan 2023 Tribunal was incorrect successful narration to his knowing of dishonesty, alternatively than accepting that his actions were dishonest. 

He antecedently believed himself to beryllium a 'maverick doctor' but his reflections connected nan moving of a infirmary are not specifically applicable to his dishonesty aliases remediation of misconduct.

'In stating that he needs to beryllium much organised and professional, Dr Coventry sought to usage mediocre organisation to excuse his dishonest conduct. 

He blamed nan deficiency of induction astatine nan Trust for his nonaccomplishment to publication nan policies and he had not made reference to, aliases admitted, dishonesty once.

'It is simply a interest to nan GMC that nan people completed by Dr Coventry has not addressed morals and astir importantly, dishonesty. 

'His grounds relating to treating patients erstwhile sick raised concerns. Dr Coventry's proposal that he would let backstage patients to determine whether they would for illustration to beryllium treated by erstwhile he was unwell himself to beryllium improper.

'He has demonstrated a deficiency of penetration successful suggesting that he now thinks 'more cautiously astir things that look OK.'

But Coventry's begetter Stuart who represented him astatine nan proceeding said: 'He is hopeless to get backmost into NHS employment. He has afloat acknowledged his circumstantial wrongdoing and dishonesty, acknowledged nan imaginable for wider issues and has undertaken remediation done study and introspection to guarantee that location is nary repetition.

'He has acknowledged that being a bully expert goes good beyond objective attraction and to a holistic knowing of professionalism. The top instruction for Dr Coventry had been nan full Tribunal process and nan grounds of his wrongdoing laid bare.

'He has recognised nan guidelines of nan behaviours and his knowing of honesty and dishonesty successful truth goes acold deeper than conscionable acceptance because he now understands personification tin beryllium dishonest successful nan absence of wilful deceit.

'Dr Coventry now understands that he needs to beryllium 'extra vigilant' astir his behaviour and its effect because 1 does not person to been wilfully diplomatic to beryllium dishonest. 

'The GMC's reference to Dr Coventry believing himself to beryllium a 'maverick doctor' has been mislaid successful translation. He was trying to make a constituent astir his knowing of rules during his puerility and increasing up, not presently.'

In revoking nan suspension MPTS president Mrs Zeenat Islam said: 'The Tribunal did not judge nan GMC's submission that Dr Coventry had not accepted that he behaved dishonestly. 

'It was satisfied Dr Coventry had reflected connected nan 2023 Tribunal's findings successful depth, accepted his misconduct and had taken steps to understand why his behaviour was dishonest.

'His reflections astir not needing to beryllium 'wilfully deceitful' to beryllium dishonest were an meticulous reflection of nan quality betwixt a laic and a ineligible meaning of dishonesty. 

'He made reference to his erstwhile 'arrogance', said his behaviour was 'idiotic' and candidly accepted that connected reflection that he 'did not person a limb to guidelines on'.

'He appreciates a bully expert is not conscionable a competent clinician, but a master who understands their role, nan effect of their actions connected others and nan needs to support spot and assurance successful nan profession. He has taken work for his actions and shown a genuine willingness to bespeak connected and remediate his misconduct.'