Junior doctor says mileage scam was due to ‘chaotic life’

A JUNIOR doctor who was sacked from his job as a locum at two hospitals after submitting fake mileage claims blamed the blunder on his “chaotic” home life, a tribunal heard.

Dr Damian Duffy, 32, forged a colleague’s signature in a bid to get false mileage and time sheet claims for journeys he never made and shifts he did not work.

The Leeds doctor faced being struck off for dishonesty and misconduct at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, but was instead suspended from medical practice for 12 months.

A disciplinary panel heard that his home life was a “real nightmare”, with Dr Duffy so absent minded and muddled over his average day he has since set up an app on his mobile phone to tick off a list of daily tasks.

He further claimed he was on a “journey of remediation” and had offered to repay the stolen money to the NHS – the amount of which was not quantified at the Manchester hearing.

The inquiry began after suspicions were raised about hours Duffy claimed to have worked at the Waterside Hospital in Londonderry, Northern Ireland between February and May 2017. He claimed to have worked when he had not and had submitted fake travel claims for non-existent journeys

After the discrepancies came to light he was dismissed and reported to the General Medical Council.

In an initial statement Duffy said: “At the time my personal and work life was chaotic and disorganised. When I completed the time sheets, I was already late in submitting them.

“At the time of submission, I believed the mileage claims to be genuine. I was not aware that any of the information was incorrect.”

But later in evidence to the hearing Duffy said he now realised he had been dishonest after speaking to his best friend about the scam.

He added: “Initially, I was in denial about the significance of what I had done and felt ashamed of it. I just buried my head in the sand. I felt like I was in a hellish place and could not see what I was doing was wrong.”