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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel very sorry for this doctor

699 replies

runningpram · 31/12/2025 09:07

I feel the way this lady has been treated is appalling.
Obviously this wasn’t the right thing to do but she wasn’t leaving early and there was no patient detriment. Why were her managers not supporting her better?
Why on earth could not this have been sorted out within the practise without a formal disciplinary process? As a working mum I really feel for her. Could someone medical shed light on why this would have been blown up into such an issue?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15422147/amp/GP-faked-medical-appointments-work-not-late-afternoon-school-run-suspended-practising-5-months.html

GP faked medical appointments at work so she could make school run

A family doctor who faked medical appointments at work so she would not be late for the afternoon school run has been suspended from treating patients.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15422147/amp/GP-faked-medical-appointments-work-not-late-afternoon-school-run-suspended-practising-5-months.html

OP posts:
Hollyleaves · 01/01/2026 09:51

MrsVBS · 31/12/2025 17:02

I work in the NHS, it’s falsifying records, this could be the tip of the iceberg, she shouldn’t have taken the job if she couldn’t do the hours or should have spoken to her employer to try and find a solution. I feel there must be more to it than a couple of occasions.

This - maybe no proof but the lying and lack of awareness of changing patient records being potentially very very dangerous. As a patient - You don’t phone and make an appointment even a phone one without good reason. In my surgery you don’t get even a phone appointment unless it is urgent never mind face to face. Phoning at 8am puts you as caller number 80 in the queue and they phone you back and they may or may not have a phone appointment. These appointments are needed, are in demand and you don’t have enough for patients.

You never ever ever falsify records. I’m sick and tired of doctors (I know the profession well) being caught doing the wrong thing and being dangerous and then excuses made about the job is too stressful, childcare etc / some do the job as single parents with no support and the same stress but we didn’t lie and cover up. We also have to get to childcare we work it even with no family or ex husband support. Even with child illness. I covered it all.

Different case- I do know of a fraud involving a similar professional a few years ago now. The auditors estimated they had stolen hundreds of thousand of pounds over 10 years plus / they only went to court with proof of about £7000, it was two of them (same place working together) they were ordering equipment which got signed off and the other signed for delivery and sold equipment on - both of them in same place working together and splitting it. We believed when they drove around in top of the range Mercedes and designer handbags and went on safari and exotic holidays and upgraded their houses etc that they must have family help we never once suspected them don’t forget this money was spent over a decade. Nice new house with a pool - wow I said. Yes she said…. we have been saving for ages and then made some money on house we were renting out - I just thought they were hardworking and got lucky with spouses etc I never thought for a minute they were stealing from the same place that I worked . These too were ‘nice decent people’ - one got a suspended sentence , one got a short jail term. Both out and walking around locally proudly within 12-18 months. Both of them blamed cancer of parents and stress at work and their previous good character was accepted at the hearing etc and their children used etc as reasons for a non custodial and short sentence. One even took work to court for being dismissed and wanted compensation in wages etc despite being paid for 12 months whilst investigating was ongoing during a suspension. I was silently screaming in my head: what about my stress, what about my life, single parent working every hour I could and although it a good job huge outgoings etc I didn’t steal. Me working short of resources (at work) and being told ‘not enough in the budget etc’ by the local community they largely were ‘forgiven’ although sacked but I knew more than went to court and literally the £20 k theft they could prove - was actually x10 times that but they could paper trail it back.

In this case the whole narrative it is wrong. She committed fraud and covered up. She was paid for a job she didn’t do and had no intention of doing. Wouldn’t we all like to leave work by 4.45 to ensure we get to pick our kids up. If the job finishes at 5 pm you stay to 5 pm and if an emergency comes in - you have to phone the school or your friend or whatever. We ALL do this because not all of us have family or partners that can help.

My friend who has younger children than me, she is a nurse, he is a uni lecturer they employ someone to pick the kids up every single day bring them back and look after them at home. Sort of childminder. She finishes at 5 pm and after school club is 5.30pm and both of them at 30 minutes from school and they can not guarantee there won’t be traffic etc or appointments that overrun so they pay daily to ensure this and they are not well off.

I do hope this GP learns and her skills are utilised but I wouldn’t want her to be my GP.

Right off to relax and chill out in 2026.

C8H10N4O2 · 01/01/2026 10:16

TurquoiseDress · 01/01/2026 07:54

Thank you for some clarity and a snapshot of what life is really like for a GP

Oh come on - every professional does long and often unpredictable hours. Its part of the deal which in this case included a large (publicly funded) salary and in the case of medicine - considerable public status.

The anger you see on threads like this is because we have all been there and wrangled the difficulties. Most have done it without defrauding the tax payer or putting patients at risk.

This woman chose to take an extra shift for a payment between £600-900 without paying for an hour of childcare to cover the end of her shift. She was being paid for one session a higher amount than most people earn in a week whilst covering their own childcare costs. She then tried to weasel out of punishment for financial fraud and patient risk by playing “poor me I have children”.

Its an insult to every low and middle paid worker and shift worker trying to navigate this problem without the benefit of a large salary to fund childcare arrangements.

godmum56 · 01/01/2026 10:28

LunaTheCat · 31/12/2025 22:07

I am a GP and she did not do the right thing.. but I sympathise.
As A GP you have little control of what happens during the day.
I have stayed until 9pm at the surgery because I am waiting for ambulance with someone who is unwell. If a patient is suicidal or has sepsis then I will run late.. I often run an hour late anyway.. I hate it, but I also want to provide excellent care and I can’t in time allocated ( in my case 15 mins but British GP s have 10 mins.. which is even more impossible).. and I have no children.
The structure of medicine makes it impossible .. medicine needs to change in order to make parenting, having a life outside possible.
in the meantime government funding is less and less. And politicians/GMC find it easier to afford individual blame fora terrible system.

.

maybe, but you can choose not to take on locum hours.

godmum56 · 01/01/2026 10:30

@Hollyleaves
"You never ever ever falsify records."

Nailed it.

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:37

Having read the documents and hearing from the medics on this thread- the fact that she was punished for the cover up and dishonesty makes sense.
I feel sure she wasn’t motivated by greed though and it does feel a shame that she felt she had no option but to cover up than initially confess.

I do agree that there feels there is a lot of gleeful calling for her head from some quarters on this post - as if some are quite pleased that a clever woman in an important role has taken a hit of a fall.

I still feel sorry for her and hope she is being supported.

OP posts:
TheKeatingFive · 01/01/2026 10:43

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:37

Having read the documents and hearing from the medics on this thread- the fact that she was punished for the cover up and dishonesty makes sense.
I feel sure she wasn’t motivated by greed though and it does feel a shame that she felt she had no option but to cover up than initially confess.

I do agree that there feels there is a lot of gleeful calling for her head from some quarters on this post - as if some are quite pleased that a clever woman in an important role has taken a hit of a fall.

I still feel sorry for her and hope she is being supported.

If she wasn't motivated by greed, then why take on that shift in the first place? She was under no pressure to do so. With her regular hours she would have had no issues with childcare.

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:47

TheKeatingFive · 01/01/2026 10:43

If she wasn't motivated by greed, then why take on that shift in the first place? She was under no pressure to do so. With her regular hours she would have had no issues with childcare.

Well perhaps she wanted more people to get seen. Perhaps she was under pressure but couldn’t really say that in her defence as it would mean she couldn’t work there again. I don’t think we should assume it was greed.

OP posts:
TheKeatingFive · 01/01/2026 10:52

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:47

Well perhaps she wanted more people to get seen. Perhaps she was under pressure but couldn’t really say that in her defence as it would mean she couldn’t work there again. I don’t think we should assume it was greed.

But that's nonsense. She STOPPED people from being seen by booking out slots that should have been patient appointments.

Honestly, have people just taken leave of their senses here?

ThatCyanCat · 01/01/2026 10:58

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:47

Well perhaps she wanted more people to get seen. Perhaps she was under pressure but couldn’t really say that in her defence as it would mean she couldn’t work there again. I don’t think we should assume it was greed.

If she wanted more people to get seen, she would have let someone who was actually going to cover all the slots take the shift.

Why are some people so determined to sanitise and justify this? Are they prepared to let their own medical records be falsified so that someone doesn't have to arrange childcare?

rockwater · 01/01/2026 11:00

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:47

Well perhaps she wanted more people to get seen. Perhaps she was under pressure but couldn’t really say that in her defence as it would mean she couldn’t work there again. I don’t think we should assume it was greed.

Of course it was greed- stop being so ridiculous.

I am seriously wondering now if people defending this doctor have done some pretty dodgy things themselves if they are so defensive of her fraud and illegal activities. Also, how the fck is it "gleeful" for people to be horrified at her putting patients at risk which she absolutely did. A cancer diagnosis could have been missed thanks to her falsely reporting she had examined people when she had not. It's absolutely disgusting.

You actually seem gleeful she is still practicing so clearly dont care about the people she potentially harmed

ThatCyanCat · 01/01/2026 11:28

I don't think anyone is being "gleeful", but I also don't care if they are. It's not the issue. It really doesn't matter. Falsifying medical details - that matters.

rockwater · 01/01/2026 11:36

ThatCyanCat · 01/01/2026 11:28

I don't think anyone is being "gleeful", but I also don't care if they are. It's not the issue. It really doesn't matter. Falsifying medical details - that matters.

Exactly. Being "gleeful" isn't illegal.

Falsifying records is. Rightly so.

ChristmasFluff · 01/01/2026 11:37

OP, why are you so convinced this woman is some sort of saint, rather than recognising that she is dishonest, fraudulent, and the sort of person who puts her own desires ahead of the needs of her patient?

Your opinion flies in the face of all the facts. That's not 'gleeful'. It's wanting appropriate protection of patients from doctors who are willing to achieve their own ends by falsifying records and then lying about it.

C8H10N4O2 · 01/01/2026 11:39

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:47

Well perhaps she wanted more people to get seen. Perhaps she was under pressure but couldn’t really say that in her defence as it would mean she couldn’t work there again. I don’t think we should assume it was greed.

She was already on a good salary, especially for her area. She chose to take on extra shifts for the money whilst knowingly not arranging childcare to cover those hours.

She was not reported for a first offence, she had done it more than once. It was not a “moment of confusion”.

She is an intelligent, highly educated woman in a position of trust. She stole patient appointments at a time of shortage, she lied on patient records, she elected to take the money without spending a small part of that money on an hour’s childcare. She cheated her patients and the tax payer.

I’m struggling to think of any other job which would attract sympathy for this type of fraud and cheating, especially highly paid jobs. Do you think her minimum wage receptionists could have pulled this stunt?

It also makes life harder for all the parents, especially the women, who already feel pressure to be “more than present” and account for childcare arrangements in jobs with far less pay and privilege. This is exactly the kind of cheat who will be cited as “typical”.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 01/01/2026 11:51

ChristmasFluff · 01/01/2026 11:37

OP, why are you so convinced this woman is some sort of saint, rather than recognising that she is dishonest, fraudulent, and the sort of person who puts her own desires ahead of the needs of her patient?

Your opinion flies in the face of all the facts. That's not 'gleeful'. It's wanting appropriate protection of patients from doctors who are willing to achieve their own ends by falsifying records and then lying about it.

Nice, middle-class lady, innit?

PollyBell · 01/01/2026 11:57

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:37

Having read the documents and hearing from the medics on this thread- the fact that she was punished for the cover up and dishonesty makes sense.
I feel sure she wasn’t motivated by greed though and it does feel a shame that she felt she had no option but to cover up than initially confess.

I do agree that there feels there is a lot of gleeful calling for her head from some quarters on this post - as if some are quite pleased that a clever woman in an important role has taken a hit of a fall.

I still feel sorry for her and hope she is being supported.

Yet her victims just have to put up with it because God forbid a women is held accountable for her actions, we cant have that

Mornz · 01/01/2026 12:17

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:37

Having read the documents and hearing from the medics on this thread- the fact that she was punished for the cover up and dishonesty makes sense.
I feel sure she wasn’t motivated by greed though and it does feel a shame that she felt she had no option but to cover up than initially confess.

I do agree that there feels there is a lot of gleeful calling for her head from some quarters on this post - as if some are quite pleased that a clever woman in an important role has taken a hit of a fall.

I still feel sorry for her and hope she is being supported.

As a woman hospital consultant with kids, I feel very angry with her. She acted dishonestly and possibly dangerously. She has brought the profession into disrepute. How dare she falsify records. We all have had childcare struggles, it was hellish at times. But we don’t all cook the appt books like this. I have zero sympathy for her sly behaviour and feel the punishment is appropriate. And in my experience, nurses would be strung up for this. Doctors should not be immune to censure.

But I would not want her as my GP. We have such a privileged position as doctors. People confide and trust in us. She abused this trust.

neverbeenskiing · 01/01/2026 12:23

NeverDropYourMooncup · 01/01/2026 11:51

Nice, middle-class lady, innit?

Nice middle-class white lady. I can't help but wonder if there would be such an outpouring of sympathy for this doctor if she was black/brown skinned with a 'foreign' sounding name.

X123x321X · 01/01/2026 14:47

runningpram · 01/01/2026 10:37

Having read the documents and hearing from the medics on this thread- the fact that she was punished for the cover up and dishonesty makes sense.
I feel sure she wasn’t motivated by greed though and it does feel a shame that she felt she had no option but to cover up than initially confess.

I do agree that there feels there is a lot of gleeful calling for her head from some quarters on this post - as if some are quite pleased that a clever woman in an important role has taken a hit of a fall.

I still feel sorry for her and hope she is being supported.

This is ridiculous. What has being a "clever woman" got to do with anything? She's not the victim. She thought she was more important than her patients and their safety. She's a disgrace.

GeorgeMichaelsCat · 01/01/2026 14:54

She was unprofessional and lazy. End of.

TheMorgenmuffel · 01/01/2026 16:16

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20260101/281754160687797

Lawyer claimed she worked 28 hours days.
I suppose thats ok too and we should feel sorry for her because she's a mother.

Unacceptable is unacceptable. Its not "glee" to say something is wrong and the person should face consequences.

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https://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily-mail/20260101/281754160687797

Baggingarea · 01/01/2026 17:47

Abra1t · 31/12/2025 09:13

It’s in the Times as well and other broadsheets.

And all from the same news agency who attended the tribunal. The level of media literacy on mumsnet is quite worrying.

AIBU5 · 01/01/2026 17:51

runningpram · 31/12/2025 09:07

I feel the way this lady has been treated is appalling.
Obviously this wasn’t the right thing to do but she wasn’t leaving early and there was no patient detriment. Why were her managers not supporting her better?
Why on earth could not this have been sorted out within the practise without a formal disciplinary process? As a working mum I really feel for her. Could someone medical shed light on why this would have been blown up into such an issue?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15422147/amp/GP-faked-medical-appointments-work-not-late-afternoon-school-run-suspended-practising-5-months.html

There is no excuse for her actions. She defrauded the NHS by billing for appointments that never happened. With her high income, she could easily afford the same childcare arrangements that every other working parent manages. Alternatively, she could have reduced her hours until the kids were older. Choosing to steal from the system instead deserves zero sympathy

Kitterkitkat · 01/01/2026 17:52

@prh47bridge I don't believe she made up things about the patients' medical symptoms so didn't compromise safety, but instead switched over telephone appointments to later appointments.

Shouldn't have happened agree.

Clareat2021 · 01/01/2026 17:53

Salvadoridory · 31/12/2025 09:15

I have no sympathy at all. Being in a corporate leadership role in a big corporation is made more challenging for women because of crap like this. And lends some sympathy to the school of thought that you do have to choose sometimes between a career and children. Even though she is only a GP, people still looked up to and trusted her. Using the school run as an excuse is disgusting. Theres nothing wrong with being honest about the sacrifices you need to make in either direction. She should have been struck off.

Only a GP...wow!