Mr Collender later explained to the committee how

Mr Collender later explained to the committee how the lack of testing at Sunny Medical Centre carried the risk of patients obtaining double prescriptions which could then be sold on the black market.

He said that two patients had been given drugs even though no check had been made to see what they had been given in the past.

And he added: ‘There is the possibility of prescribing occurring while it was continuing from another doctor or pharmacist, meaning the patient is getting drugs from two separate sources.

‘

The hearing was told that some patients visiting the centre lived a long way from Deptford which made it more difficult for the doctors to monitor them.

Explaining the levels of drugs prescribed, Mr Collender said the lethal dose of Methadone was around 75mgs but it could be as little as 40mgs for some people.

It is claimed that Onen and Onyango sometimes prescribed up to 400mgs a day.

On top of that it is alleged that many of the drugs were given out in ampoule form which encourages addicts to inject.

He said that only four patients of the 31 concerned underwent a urine test at their first appointment.

And many were given ‘defective’ instructions on how to take their drugs.

Mr Collender said: ‘The instructions were often ambiguous as to the prescription interval, and sometimes the prescriptions were open-ended and there was no proper monitoring of the drugs prescribed.

‘Sometimes they were prescribed in large doses, and these patterns of prescribing were persisted in over a long period of time despite the guidelines for doctors.

‘

Dr Onen, who has held a consultant post at Crawley Hospital, Sussex, since 1993, is alleged to have treated all 31 patients concerned.

Dr Onyango, a psychiatrist with West Lambeth Community Care NHS Trust for eight years, is said to have treated seven of them.

The hearing continues.

ends

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