Northampton doctor struck off after changing patient's medical records

Discharging the patient without checking blood tests put him at risk, the tribunal found

A doctor has been struck off after he changed a patient's medical records to conceal an initial diagnosis and discharge, which put him "at risk", a tribunal found.

Dr Muhammad Umar Malik Farooq was working as a locum registrar at Northampton General Hospital in October 2021 at the time.

The changes were "designed to conceal" his actions, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal found.

The BBC has contacted the hospital.

On 27 October 2021, the patient was discharged from the emergency department, despite blood tests showing a level of troponin showing acute coronary syndrome.

The raised levels were "particularly significant given the patients' past history of cardiac events", the tribunal said.

Dr Farooq had not reviewed the patient's troponin levels before discharging him and had diagnosed him with a lower respiratory infection.

In the early hours of 28 October, he made multiple alterations to the medical records retrospectively, including that the patient had self discharged, and multiple changes to diagnosis.

Colleagues at Northampton General Hospital were the first to raise concerns, the tribunal heard.

'Conceal his mistake'

In striking off Dr Farooq, the tribunal noted his "dishonesty was particularly serious as he had tried to make it appear that Patient A had left the hospital against his advice to conceal his mistake in discharging him, and therefore he had placed his own interests before those of Patient A".

He had a "persistent lack of insight into the seriousness of his actions," it concluded.

Dr Farooq had told the panel he was unaware of how to mark changes as retrospective on the system, however the tribunal did not accept this.

He has 28 days from the date of the decision to appeal the tribunal's decision.

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