GP made patient uneasy by inviting her to his local pub

A GP who worked with Mother Teresa faces being struck off after he invited his patient to a pub lunch to talk about her role as an aid worker.

Dr Richard Dean, 58, treated her for a bad back as a locum for a single day at a surgery in Gloucester, got her number by accessing her medical records, then messaged her, suggesting they meet at his local pub in the Cotswolds.

The father-of-two, who had volunteered to work at camps in Greece and Turkey, hoped he might liaise with her about future humanitarian projects.

After the patient reported Dr Dean as she felt “uncomfortable” about the April 2017 incident, medical council investigators found he had been warned in 2016 about crossing doctor-patient boundaries after another female patient made a complaint about him.

Dr Dean told a medical tribunal: “My interest immediately piqued when I heard about her refugee work and that interest took over”, adding he did volunteer work for Mother Teresa in 1981.

He admitted inappropriate conduct and data breaches. The hearing in Manchester continues.