Colchester surgeon showed 'serious misconduct' in care of six patients

One patient said he was not given alternatives to surgery by Mr Parker

An orthopaedic surgeon who demonstrated "serious misconduct" in his care of six patients has been struck off the medical register.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard Dr Jeremy Parker, based at Colchester Hospital, carried out 33 knee and hip replacements in breach of restrictions placed on his practice.

Mr Parker also falsely claimed to have performed a knee operation.

The surgeon said he "panicked" when he wrongly recorded the procedure.

Richard Holland, a lawyer for the General Medical Council (GMC), said the failings were "deplorable" and "brought the medical profession into disrepute".

Tribunal chair Sharmistha Michaels said: "Mr Parker's conduct fell seriously below the standard expected of a competent medical practitioner and represented significant breaches of the principles of good medical practice."

'Serious error'

The tribunal heard Mr Parker, who qualified in 1991, conducted the 33 operations despite restrictions placed on his practising in October 2018.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) - and Oaks Hospital in Colchester where he ran a private practice - had told him his procedures must be signed off by colleagues.

He also misled the Royal College of Surgeons in February 2019 when he made retrospective additions to "approximately" 14 patients' case notes.

The notes included a false claim about performing a patient's partial lateral meniscectomy.

Mr Parker referred himself to the GMC, saying he "panicked" and that the "serious error of judgement" was "completely out of character".

Colchester Hospital had already placed restrictions in October 2018 on Mr Parker's clinical practising

A total 53 facts put forward by the GMC - dating back to August 2015 - were "found proved" by the tribunal panel.

These included failures to diagnose an infection before an operation and failure to obtain informed or adequate patient consent before surgery.

In one case, he performed an "inadequate" arthroscopy because he did not remove a 1cm-wide piece of broken bone from a patient's right knee.

He also failed to ensure a "safe technical approach" during surgery that resulted in "major catastrophic blood loss" in a second patient.

Mr Parker ran a private clinical practice at Oaks Hospital

ESNEFT said Mr Parker had not worked at Colchester Hospital since 2019.

Ramsay Health Care UK, which runs Oaks Hospital, was approached for comment.

The panel concluded Mr Parker's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct.

He was suspended from practising with immediate effect and was due to be erased from the medical register in 28 days, pending any appeal.

Struck-off practitioners can reapply to join the register after five years.

Mr Parker did not attend the tribunal hearing and was not represented.