Convicted criminal doctor gets job at Ysbyty Gwynedd

A DRUG addict heart doctor sacked from his job as a top cardiologist in Liverpool is back working in North Wales.

Dr Martin Royle last year admitted charges of forgery and fraud when he worked as a consultant cardiologist at St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust.

An investigation found that on at least 11 occasions he wrote out bogus prescriptions in the names of family and colleagues to steal the narcotic-like pain reliever, Tramadol, for his own use in 2013.

Royle was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Liverpool Crown Court.

This year the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service held hearings into Dr Royle’s conduct, but opted to allow him to continue to practise.

A Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board spokesperson confirmed Royle is now employed as a fixed-term locum at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor.

Plaid Cymru North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd said yesterday: “It’s very worrying that a doctor sacked from his post in a Liverpool hospital for carrying out inappropriate procedures and currently serving a suspended sentence for forging prescriptions to feed his own drug problem, is working in Ysbyty Gwynedd.

“I would expect that the necessary checks were carried out and have written to Betsi Cadwaladr’s senior management asking for clarification on the matter.”

Mr Gruffydd said this case highlights the “desperate need” for North Wales to have its own medical school to “enable us to train up doctors who will work here”.

He added: “As things stand, we are too reliant on temporary staff and expensive locums that do not provide the continuity of care we want to see in our hospitals.”

Defending the appointment, a health board spokesperson said: “Dr Martin Royle’s conviction relates to his conduct around five years ago. There was no suggestion that this impacted on the quality of the clinical care he gave to his patients.

“The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service noted he had engaged positively with the criminal and regulatory processes, they accepted that there were mitigating factors and they judged the risk of repetition to be low.”

The spokesperson said the health board was “fully aware of these matters” when Dr Royle was appointed, and put in place “appropriate arrangements” to supervise and monitor his work.

They added: “He has fully complied with all the conditions placed on his practice and we will continue to work with him and the GMC while the conditions remain in place.”