Published 2 November 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4507
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4507

News

GMC hears that doctor who faked results is "indispensable" to the NHS

Clare Dyer

1 BMJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

An award winning gastroenterologist who faked the results of research studies has been allowed to remain on the medical register because of his "exceptional and rare" clinical skills.

A General Medical Council fitness to practise panel ruled that Paul Hurlstone, who pioneered laser scanning confocal endomicroscopy in the United Kingdom for the detection and treatment of early bowel cancer, should be suspended from practice for three months.

His health, details of which have been kept confidential, was a second element of mitigation that persuaded the panel not to strike him off, although research misconduct is regarded as a particularly serious type of dishonesty.

The panel found that Dr Hurlstone had made false statements in journal articles that reported three separate studies. "Your published articles contained falsified statements and erroneous conclusions. These articles, published in highly reputable journals, might have influenced patient care. Your actions could have put future patients at . . . [Full text of this article]


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