Surgeon facing misconduct claim quits medical register

Michael Walsh voluntarily erased himself from the medical register on health grounds

A surgeon who was facing "serious" allegations of poor practice has resigned from the medical register.

Michael Walsh worked at Spire Hospital in north Leeds for 25 years before he was suspended in 2018, over concerns around the treatment some of his patients had received. He later retired.

A 2021 court hearing was told the orthopaedic surgeon's work had a pattern of poor practice, with one patient said to still be in pain after 14 operations on her shoulder, elbow and wrist.

Mr Walsh voluntarily erased himself from the register on health grounds, after a tribunal was told he had a "severe" condition.

Michael Walsh was suspended from work at Spire Hospital, in north Leeds, in 2018

'No intention' of practising again

A report by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) said Mr Walsh was attending a fitness to practice hearing on 6 November when he became in need of "urgent medical attention" and proceedings were suspended.

He later applied to have his name voluntarily removed from the General Medical Council (GMC) register, with the tribunal told he was "now in his late sixties" and had no intention of returning to practice.

Mr Walsh's request was granted, with the tribunal concluding that reopening proceedings could have a "significant negative impact" on his health and the chances of him working in the profession again were "remote" in any case.

In its ruling, the tribunal said it had "taken into account that the allegations in this case were serious".

In 2020, private healthcare firm Spire said almost 50 of Mr Walsh's patients had been recalled after a review of their treatment.

A year later, the company was ordered to pay £20,000 after it was found to have been too slow in telling four of the trauma specialist's patients about failings with their care.

The MPTS tribunal was told that Walsh's position in response to the allegations would have been that "he held a genuine belief that he was acting in good faith".

The panel concluded that "if a properly informed member of the public were fully aware of the circumstances present in this case, their confidence in both the medical profession and the GMC’s performance of its statutory functions would not be damaged by the granting of Mr Walsh’s application for voluntary erasure".

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