Doctor struck off over false claims about qualifications

A doctor who lied about his qualifications on medical articles and a job application has been struck off.

Dr John Dillon falsely claimed that he was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

He made the claims on research papers and at and an annual conference.

Dr Dillon, an orthopaedic specialist from Dumfries, also included the qualification on a CV he submitted to NHS Dumfries and Galloway in 2010 when he applied for a locum post at the health board.

However doubts were raised about the claims and a disciplinary hearing into his conduct was held by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).

All four UK branches of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons confirmed that Dr Dillon was not a member of their organisations. He had passed preliminary exams for the Royal College of Surgeons of Glasgow but had never applied for full membership.

Dr Dillon had been suspended since 2016 after the tribunal decided his fitness to practise was impaired. But he has now been struck off the register after a panel heard he had provided no evidence to suggest he was now able to practise properly and there were concerns he could repeat his behaviour.

In a written ruling, Nathan Moxon, the tribunal’s chairman, said: “The March 2018 tribunal took account of the decisions by the 2016 and 2017 tribunals that Dr Dillon’s misconduct was not fundamentally compatible with continued registration and that suspension was a sufficient and appropriate sanction.

“It was hoped by those tri- bunals that these respective periods of suspension would encourage Dr Dillon to engage and afford him sufficient time within which to produce evidence of remediation and insight.

“Unfortunately Dr Dillon chose not to take the opportunities given.

“The March 2018 tribunal determined that a further period of suspension was the appropriate and proportionate sanction to protect patients, maintain public confidence in the profession and promote and maintain standards of conduct and behaviour.

“In respect of remediation, remorse and insight, the tribunal has not received any evidence that Dr Dillon has addressed his misconduct, indeed it is of the view that, currently, the position in respect of Dr Dillon’s fitness to practice remains unchanged from that in 2016.”