NHS Lanarkshire doctor suspended for using dead patients' names to get drugs

An NHS doctor has been suspended for using the names of dead patients to obtain prescription medication.

Dr John Henderson was working as an out-of-hours GP at NHS Lanarkshire when he was found to have written fraudulent prescriptions to obtain the drugs by using his own name and the names of patients, including dead ones.

The GP obtained prescriptions from various pharmacies between July 2021 and February 2022.

On some occasions, Henderson asked other NHS staff to take the prescriptions to pharmacies on his behalf.

The doctor was convicted at Hamilton Sheriff Court in January 2024 and sentenced to pay £883 in compensation and given a community payback order requiring him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

Following his conviction, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) has ruled that his fitness to practice is impaired and given him a 12-month ban.

The tribunal considered that an immediate order suspending the doctor may be necessary because he “poses a risk to patient safety”.

It determined the ban was necessary to “protect public confidence” in the medical profession and is “otherwise in the public interest”.

Their report added: “The offending was planned, continued over a prolonged period of time and took place within the course of Dr Henderson’s work as a doctor, representing a clear breach of the trust of his employer and his patients.

“The Tribunal noted that the dishonesty was prolonged and repeated, on Dr Henderson’s evidence on more than 40 occasions, and that he stopped only when he was discovered.

“The Tribunal also took into account that Dr Henderson abused his position as a doctor in order to carry out his offending, which could not have occurred without the ability to prescribe medication entrusted to medical professionals and determined that Dr Henderson’s actions have undermined public confidence in the medical profession.”

NHS Lanarkshire has been contacted for comment.