TERIBA: DOCTOR GUILTY OF DELETING ‘POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS’ PRESCRIPTIONS

A doctor who prescribed huge amounts of drugs to patients and then removed details of the drugs from their medical records faces being struck off.

Dr Aderemi Hakeem Teriba tried to hide his ‘potentially dangerous’ actions by deleting prescriptions as soon as he had issued them.

He was found guilty of making misleading and dishonest deletions to 13 patients’ medical records without adequate reason .

The GP was also found to have treated 99 patients at his surgery when banned from doing so under conditions on his practice after concerns were raised about his work.

Panel chairman Ralph Bergmann said Teriba’s claim that he had deleted information because he was trying to ‘tidy up’ the records was ‘implausible’.

A ‘significant number’ of the deletions were for gynaecology patients and prescribing, both areas in which the doctor’s practice had been criticised, it was said.

Mr Bergmann said: ‘The panel considered that your explanation was implausible, that you were motivated to cover up your actions and, therefore, that you knew that you were acting dishonestly.’

Teriba also failed competency tests which ‘raised significant concerns regarding patient safety,’ the panel heard.

Andrew Colman, for the GMC, said Teriba was a GP an partner at the Clapton Surgery in Theydon Road, Hackney, east London from April 2004.

Teriba’s actions came to the attention of his colleague Dr Benjamin Bradley when a patient asked about contraceptive medication he had prescribed, but no record could be found.

He was subsequently found to have deleted records on 11 patient files between May and July 2008.

Many of them showed ‘a similar pattern of prescribing followed by immediate deletion.’

Some cases included gynaecology patients, and the prescription of antibiotics, both of which were areas in which Teriba’s practice had been criticised by an independent review.

Others ‘involved potentially dangerous prescribing of multiple medications,’ said Mr Colman, which could have caused both short and long term harm to the patient.

Teriba was also found to have deleted a letter he wrote to a firm of solicitors about a patient in November 2006, and removed details of instructions to a nurse to give a vitamin injection in April 2007.

The GP was cleared on failing to tell colleagues about the initial condition imposed on his work in September 2008.

But he was found to have failed to inform the surgery or PCT of continuing conditions in March the following year.

He then continued working without a workplace supervisor, in breach of the conditions, and treated two gynaecological problems when banned from doing so, the panel ruled.

The doctor also falsely claimed that he was being supervised by another doctor at the practice in a letter to the GMC in June 2010.

By September last year, Teriba had been ordered to work only at a training practice where he could be closely supervised by a named GP principal.

But he returned to work and treated 99 patients at the surgery between 1 and 3 September 2010, the panel ruled, which found his action were deliberately dishonest.

‘Dr Teriba promptly returned to work at the Clapton Surgery,’ Mr Colman has said.

‘That was not a training post and he was not supervised at all.

‘He saw patients in the morning and afternoon of 3, 6 and 7 September and in the morning of 8 September – 99 patients in total – until he was stopped by the urgent intervention of the primary care trust’s medical director.’

Mr Bergmann said: ‘You as the senior partner must have known that yours was not a training practice.

‘The panel considers your explanation that you thought that an adjoining but independent training practice would satisfy this requirement as beyond the boundaries of belief.’

Teriba also underwent a performance assessment in summer 2010 which found his practice was unacceptable in six core areas, the hearing has been told.

It was a cause for concern in a further five areas, the panel heard.

‘The team commented that his lack of ability to proactively manage chronic illness and under performance in emergencies raised significant concerns regarding patient safety,’ said Mr Colman.

Teriba, who qualified in 1972 from the university of Ibadan, is currently suspended.

He his attending the central London hearing, which must now decide if he is fit to continue practising as a doctor.

The hearing continues.

ends