London doctor struck off after lying about prescribing himself medication

A senior doctor who worked in London hospitals has been struck off after a tribunal found he prescribed drugs for himself before lying about who ordered them.The tribunal panel, following a hearing held between October 26 to 29, concluded that Dr Bhagawati should be removed from the medical register, pending an appeal period.Dr Bhagawati served as a senior clinical fellow in neurosurgery from October 2018 to January 2025.The General Medical Council (GMC), which brought the case, had investigated the claims and found Dr Bhagawati had acted dishonestly when questioned on the issue in February 2025.He initially said he had not ordered the tests and prescriptions, the tribunal report said, claiming instead a colleague had done so on his behalf.Dr Bhagawati, who has since moved abroad, did not attend the tribunal hearing last month. All of the allegations made by the GMC were found to be proven.The tribunal panel concluded that the ‘findings of misconduct were serious and at a high level of risk’PA ArchiveThe trust undertook a preliminary investigation into Dr Bhagawati after concerns were raised towards the end of his contract. It then referred the matter to the GMC.He was alleged to have prescribed himself medication, contrary to guidance, on four occasions between June 2022 and November 2024. The GMC also claimed he had ordered blood tests on May 24, 2024, and December 20 the same year.In an attempt to cover his tracks, Dr Bhagawati was accused of having used a temporary access card to read a record of a consultation he had in 2019.He then attached the requests for medications and blood tests to that session, giving the impression they had been made by another clinician, referred to in the tribunal report as “Dr B”.The use of the temporary card, rather than his own, meant he was not identified on the system as submitting the requests.Read MoreThe tribunal, chaired by Aaminah Khan, said Dr Bhagawati’s account had changed over time, shifting from claiming firstly that his GP had made the orders, before saying a colleague requested the tests and medication.He finally acknowledged he had done it himself.Dr Bhagawati eventually admitted to prescribing the drugs himselfPA ArchiveIn an email from Dr Bhagawati to senior figures at the trust, dated from March 3 last year, he wrote: “After reading the summary [from a previous meeting], I would like to not put [Dr B] in a difficult position.“Given this, I would like to change my previous statements and accept responsibility for ordering the tests and the scripts…. I appreciate the seriousness of this statement. “If this conclusion of the investigation is for a referral to the GMC, then I am happy to self refer.”The tribunal panel, in its report, said it found that Dr Bhagawati had been looking to “conceal his own actions by using another colleague’s name and account to order them”.As such, he was found to not only have ordered the tests and medication himself, but to have subsequently acted dishonestly.The tribunal, while acknowledging his “good character”, opted to remove Dr Bhagawati’s name from the medical register “immediately” in order to “protect the public”.The three-person panel concluded: “The findings of misconduct were serious and at a high level of risk, with no evidence of insight or remediation, and concerns about a high risk of repetition.”The Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust oversees multiple locations, including Charing Cross, St Mary’s in Paddington and Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, but Bhagawati’s exact workplace is unclear.Imperial said it was unable to confirm where Dr Bhagawati was based, but noted that neurosurgery operates out of Charing Cross and St Mary’s hospitals.