General Practitioner Trainee Suspended Over Self-Prescription Incident

A general practitioner in training received a five-month suspension following an incident where he issued a prescription for his own use. During a medical tribunal, it was revealed that pharmacy personnel in Bangor, Gwynedd, became suspicious when Dr. Callum Metcalfe presented a handwritten note. The tribunal was informed that he had a valid prescription for the medication, but his supply was depleted during a visit with friends in north Wales over the 2022 New Year period. The tribunal determined that this event, combined with a conviction for drink driving, necessitated his immediate suspension. Dr. Metcalfe, aged 29, qualified as a doctor in 2019 and was undergoing training to become a general practitioner, having completed placements at the Bron Meirion surgery in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd. In early January 2022, he was employed by the South Tees Hospitals trust in north-east England, but was in north Wales assisting a friend with a DIY project. A two-week hearing conducted by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service revealed that Dr. Metcalfe visited the Tesco Pharmacy in Bangor and submitted a handwritten prescription. The prescription bore his name and signature as the prescribing physician, yet listed a different individual as the patient. He informed the pharmacy staff that he was, in fact, the patient. Later the same day, he called the pharmacy, identifying himself as Dr. Metcalfe and asserting that he was attempting to assist a friend while the general practitioner’s surgery was closed for the New Year holiday. Pharmacy personnel reported the suspicious prescription, and Dr. Metcalfe subsequently self-referred to the General Medical Council (GMC) later in the month. However, concurrently with the GMC’s investigation, Dr. Metcalfe faced criminal charges, resulting in a ban and a fine for drink driving. Claire Lindley, who chaired the medical tribunal, stated: “On 16 May 2023, the police reported that Dr Metcalfe was found asleep in his car on a petrol station forecourt at 10:25 pm.” “He was slumped over the steering wheel, the engine was running, and there was a half empty bottle of whiskey between his legs.” Dr. Metcalfe confessed to all accusations leveled against him during the medical tribunal. He informed the hearing that the pressure from the GMC investigation had caused him to exercise poor judgment, and that he was committed to learning from his errors concerning the prescription. In a submitted statement, he declared: “I now understand that my actions not only breached the trust placed in me as a doctor but also have undermined confidence in the medical profession as a whole.” The tribunal proceedings were largely conducted privately, but a written account of its findings has since been made public. Tribunal chair Claire Lindley further commented: “Dr Metcalfe’s misconduct and conviction were serious.” “The tribunal was satisfied that this conduct, especially the dishonesty, would be regarded as deplorable by fellow practitioners and would undermine public confidence in the profession.” “A period of five months’ suspension (sends) out a clear message to the profession that both the misconduct and a conviction of this nature is unacceptable.”