A doctor who worked at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital in Fife has been struck off after a tribunal found her to have been repeatedly dishonest.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal ruled Dr Pavithra Siddappa’s fitness to practise is impaired by her serious misconduct.
Dr Siddappa did not attend the tribunal.
However, she was suspended with immediate effect after the hearing found she was ‘intentionally trying to mislead’ when questioned about amendments made to her Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) outcome form – and her attendance at work.
The tribunal determined Dr Siddappa had changed her ARCP outcome form on one or more occasions between November 27, 2015 and August 24, 2020.
It found a recorded outcome had been altered from outcome ‘3’ to outcome ‘1’.
‘False impression’
Original wording had been removed and amended to the words “Excellent progress” before being submitted.
The tribunal stated Dr Siddappa knew that: “changes you made to the ARCP Form would give the false impression that your outcome was better than it was.”
This could have had far reaching consequences “to the reputation of the medical profession and patient safety by giving the false impression that she was more skilled than she was”, they found.
The Tribunal also determined her conduct was dishonest.
Family member
When questioned about the ARCP form, Dr Siddappa was said to have stated that an unnamed family member had changed it without her knowledge.
The tribunal also determined Dr Siddappa had been dishonest about her attendance, after failing to work shifts at Victoria Hospital on July 20 and 22, 2020.
It was proven Dr Siddappa had told another doctor – referred to as Dr A – she did attend work on July 22 2020, spent most of the day in the doctors’ mess working on her
appraisal and left early to have bloods done.
When records were checked, evidence was produced that found Dr Siddappa had not used her security access card at the hospital.
Meeting and work form
Dr Siddappa was invited to a meeting to discuss attendance issues but she did not go and failed to notify Dr A she would not be attending.
She also failed to provide a completed Work Details Form (WDF) to the General Medical council in a reasonable timeframe.
The tribunal found all of this proved her serious misconduct.
Mitigating factors
The tribunal concluded the only mitigating factor in Dr Siddappa’s case is that she had not been previously found implicated or impaired in regulatory proceedings.
However, the tribunal noted that there is no evidence from Dr Siddappa of any insight, reflection or remediation.
“Therefore, in the absence of any of that evidence, the tribunal concluded there was nothing before it to satisfy it that Dr Siddappa would not repeat her actions.”
Dr Siddappa’s name will be removed from the Medical Register.
A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: “NHS Fife is unable to comment on matters relating to individual staff members, past or present.”
Dr Siddappa was approached for comment.
