Lying Greater Manchester GP suspended after he made 'catastrophic errors in judgement'

A family GP has been suspended after making 'casatrophic errors in judgement' - which he initially tried to cover up.

Dr Zeshan Ali was found to have deliberately avoided returning patient calls when they wanted to arrange phone consultations instead of face-to-face appointments.

The 45-year-old potentially put eight patients at 'real risk of harm' after he failed to make the scheduled calls upon request. Rather than admit he did not phone them, however, he claimed the patients 'missed their calls' and went as far as to fake medical records to make it appear as if he did actually schedule the appointments.

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After an investigation was launched, he sent a series of apologies and confessed to bosses that he had committed a 'serious offence'. He claimed he was too busy with a 'family emergency' and 'financial issues' to call back patients.

However, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester banned Ali from treating patients for nine months after he was found guilty of serious professional misconduct. It is not yet clear whether any patients actually suffered any harm as a direct result of Ali's actions.

The tribunal heard that the incidents at St Andrews Medical Centre in Eccles, Salford, occurred between May and June 2022. Ali, who also works as an OSCE Examiner for Manchester University Medical Students and a PLAB Examiner for the General Medical Council, had been assigned work for four days at the surgery via a locum agency.

But an investigation was launched after the practice manager received a phone call from a