GP suspended for working during misconduct ban

Keith Wolverson was working as a locum doctor when the incidents happened

A GP who worked while he was suspended for misconduct has been banned from practising for a second time.

Dr Keith Wolverson’s nine-month suspension for criticising patients’ English skills and asking a woman to remove her veil was active when he completed shifts in November and December 2022.

A panel found he undertook work for the Reading-based Practice Plus Group on 17 occasions despite that and suspended him for another 12 months.

Dr Wolverson said the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) appeal process was “unclear”.

The MPTS panel, which delivered its verdict on Thursday, found the medic had “clearly” been informed that his registration had been suspended.

“Whether he had absorbed this information or not, the tribunal concluded that it was more likely than not he had worked as a doctor one or more times while suspended,” the panel said.

It found his insight was “at best partial” and that it was “concerned by the prolonged and sustained nature of his misconduct”.

Dr Wolverson said he believed - incorrectly - that he had successfully lodged an appeal and could continue to practise.

He was previously suspended for misconduct while working at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Derby Urgent Treatment Centre, where he was working as a locum doctor at the time.

He had admitted making the comments about English language skills between January and April 2018.