11:48am Tuesday 12th June 2007
By Daniel Knowles
Doctors applying for work at the troubled Springfield Hospital face tougher checks after a locum employed there was suspended by a medical watchdog for faking his CV.
Dr Kelvin Chatoor was sacked by the hospital after it found out he was due to appear before the General Medical Council (GMC) over claims he had faked part of his CV to get positions at a series of hospitals.
In March, the GMC suspended Dr Chatoor from practising after finding he falsified his CV on seven occasions over five years.
The panel found Dr Chatoor's actions were dishonest and misleading, risked patient safety and could have resulted in him being appointed to a position where he did not have enough experience.
But Springfield says its patients were never at risk.
In a statement the trust's chief executive Peter Houghton said Dr Chatoor had been properly qualified to do the work he did at Springfield Hospital for three months from last November.
He was sacked from his temporary position at the end of February as soon as the hospital heard of the pending panel hearing.
"In the short time that he worked at this trust, Dr Chatoor was a qualified doctor and fully registered with the General Medical Council," Mr Houghton said.
"In common with many other NHS trusts, we employed him in good faith on the basis of a number of excellent references and relevant supporting documentation which included confirmation that Dr Chatoor could section people under the Mental Health Act.
"We were not aware at the time of Dr Chatoor's pending hearing with the GMC. The day we became aware of this, his locum contract was ended.
"We have reviewed the clinical care given to all patients who were cared for by Dr Chatoor and have not had to take any remedial action."
Mr Houghton said the hospital had relied on agencies supplying staff to check work histories, qualifications and references.
"The trust has worked with the agency to review their recruitment procedures to minimise the risk of this happening again. The agency's governing body has been informed," he said.
A spokeswoman for the trust said agencies now had to provide written proof there were no GMC inquiries pending against candidates for work at Springfield.
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