A part-time family doctor has been suspended from practice for five months after she was found to have fabricated patient appointments to ensure she could leave on time to collect her children from school.
Dishonesty to Avoid Being Late
Dr Helen Eisenhauer, a 43-year-old mother of two, worked at the Stenhouse Medical Centre in Arnold, Nottinghamshire. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard that she feared last-minute consultations booked by colleagues would make her late for the school pick-up.
To guarantee her departure time, the GP created two false face-to-face appointments in the practice's system. These were for patients she had already consulted with over the telephone earlier the same day. She also blocked her diary in the late afternoon to prevent any further bookings.
Discovery and Investigation
The deception was uncovered when a partner at the medical centre noticed irregularities in her appointment records. Dr Eisenhauer was confronted in a meeting and initially denied any dishonesty.
She later referred herself to the General Medical Council (GMC) and admitted to charges of misconduct. At her tribunal, she stated she had been under significant strain due to sleep deprivation from her parenting responsibilities.
"The incident occurred at a time of particular stress for me when I was having to balance the demands of my young family with busy professional commitments," she said. "I fully accept, however, that this does not excuse my dishonesty."
Tribunal's Stern Rebuke
The tribunal panel was highly critical of her actions. Katie Jones, for the GMC, said Dr Eisenhauer had "engaged in acts of dishonesty which demonstrated a reckless disregard for patient safety" and undermined systems designed to protect the public.
MPTS chairman Neil Dalton stated that the GP had "displayed a reckless disregard both for patient safety and for professional standards." He emphasised that by making false records, she put her own interests before those of her patients and betrayed the trust of her colleagues.
Dr Eisenhauer expressed remorse and claimed to have developed better coping mechanisms. "I am fully aware of the importance of honesty and probity in my personal and professional life, and the impact that dishonest actions can have on the profession and the public trust in the profession," she told the tribunal.
Despite this, the panel imposed a five-month suspension from practice, citing the serious nature of her deliberate and repeated dishonesty.
