Wolverhampton doctor falsely claimed £12,000, hearing is told
A GP falsely claimed more than £12,000 in expenses for locum doctors who were not needed, a misconduct hearing was told.
Dr Kirsten Guest billed the Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust for staff to cover for her when she was away on other duties.
She then transferred the cash into her personal bank account, it is claimed.
In one case she claimed for three hours' locum cover for a 90-minute meeting while she was already on annual leave.
The General Medical Council alleges the doctor's conduct was dishonest and misleading.
During a misconduct hearing in Manchester, Chris Hamlet, for the GMC, said: "No locum expenses were incurred at all and Dr Guest knew this very well. She stood to profit personally from these claims by arranging transfer into her own personal bank account."
Dr Guest, who was a partner at the Duncan Street Primary Care Centre in Blakenhall, Wolverhampton, is said to have submitted eleven claims totalling £12,320 on headed notepaper between January 2010 and April 2011.
The hearing was told she charged for a locum to cover for her while she was serving on the trust's professional executive committee.
She billed up to £80 per hour for time spent on her committee duties, for which she was also paid a salary on top of wages as a GP, it was claimed.
Mr Hamlet said: "When she was challenged by members of the practice she said the claims were for additional work carried out for the PCT and denied any claims had been submitted on practice headed paper."
Dr Guest, who has retired from the practice, has since paid back the full amount to the trust.
In a letter to the GMC, Dr Guest claimed the false expenses were the result of a misunderstanding.
Giving evidence, Duncan Street partner Dr Amjad Khan told the panel that the expense claims 'cast a cloud' over the whole surgery.
"We would be unable to show the practice has provided internal or external cover for the monies she had invoiced," said Dr Khan.
"We tried very hard to try to get some explanation but we were left with none."
The panel heard how during a meeting with partners Dr Guest said she had been naive.
But Dr Khan said: "In practice she was not naive. She was fully aware financially where the monies were coming from.
"She was a fully functioning partner."
Dr Guest is not attending the hearing and faces a possible ban if the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel find her guilty of misconduct.
The hearing continues.
