A GP who faked face-to-face appointments so she could pick her children up after school has been suspended from practising for five months.
Dr Helen Eisenhauer booked unnecessary in-person appointments for two patients she had telephone consultations with earlier the same day, a tribunal heard.
She did so to keep others from booking the slots so that she would finish work on time.
Dr Eisenhauer, who worked at Stenhouse Medical Centre in Arnold, near Nottingham, had been due to end her shift at 4:45 p.m. and had to pick up her children by 6 p.m.
The 43-year-old was caught by a staff member who saw “anomalies” in the GP’s bookings for the two patients. She was called in for meetings in August 2024 after the incident in July that year.
She did not then accept that she had been dishonest when making those bookings, but later referred herself to the General Medical Council (GMC) and admitted the allegations.
Dr Eisenhauer told the tribunal she was “was worried about what might be booked in and the impact this might have on my finishing time.
“On the day appointments get booked very quickly and can vary in complexity.”
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She accepted she had been dishonest and blamed her actions on strain resulting from her parenting responsibilities.
She added that her judgment was affected during this period by the lack of sleep she had been experiencing.
The tribunal ruled that Dr Eisenhauer had committed serious misconduct, and that it impaired her fitness to practise.
The tribunal ruled she should be suspended for five months to “reflect the gravity of her conduct and send out a clear signal to Dr Eisenhauer, the profession and the wider public”.
“It would also allow Dr Eisenhauer sufficient time to reflect further, and to acquire and demonstrate full insight and remediation,” the tribunal said.
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