A General Practitioner from the Midlands has been suspended from practice for five months after a professional tribunal heard she fabricated face-to-face patient appointments to ensure she could leave work on time to collect her children from school.
Fabricated Appointments to Meet Family Commitments
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told that Dr Helen Eisenhauer, a part-time GP, created unnecessary in-person appointments for two patients in July 2024. She had already conducted telephone consultations with the same patients earlier that day. The tribunal heard her shift was due to end at 4.45pm and she needed to pick up her children by 6pm.
Dr Eisenhauer worked at the Stenhouse Medical Centre in Arnold, near Nottingham. The deception was uncovered when a partner at the practice noticed irregularities in the booking system for the two patients involved.
Admission of Dishonesty and Mitigating Factors
Following the incident, Dr Eisenhauer was called to meetings in August 2024. She initially did not accept she had been dishonest but later referred herself to the General Medical Council (GMC) and admitted the allegations.
Addressing the tribunal, the GP explained the pressure she felt. "On-the-day appointments get booked very quickly and can vary in complexity," she said. "I was worried about what might be booked in and the impact this might have on my finishing time."
Dr Eisenhauer accepted her actions were dishonest and stated that her judgement had been impaired by significant sleep deprivation due to her parenting responsibilities.
Tribunal's Ruling and Five-Month Suspension
The tribunal ruled that Dr Eisenhauer had committed serious misconduct and that this impaired her fitness to practise. While she argued that a suspension would negatively impact her practice, patients, and family, the panel decided a sanction was necessary.
It imposed a five-month suspension from practice. The tribunal stated this was to "reflect the gravity of her conduct and send out a clear signal to Dr Eisenhauer, the profession and the wider public."
The panel added that the period would also allow the doctor sufficient time to reflect further and to fully demonstrate insight and remediation for her actions.
