Doctor examined woman's breasts without permission

A doctor examined a woman's breasts without permission, despite her saying the pain was elsewhere, a hearing has been told.

Dr Subhas Pattar, of Leicester, appeared before the General Medical Council (GMC) yesterday for the start of a 19-day hearing into allegations of misconduct and deficient professional performance.

The incidents date back to September, 2005, when he was employed as a locum by South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The GMC's fitness to practise panel is considering allegations that Dr Pattar saw a woman complaining of chest pain on September 7, 2005.

The doctor is said to have begun examining her breasts without asking for permission, or explaining his actions.

On September 15, he was sacked by the trust after concerns were raised over his treatment of a number of patients.

Dr Pattar is accused of delaying reviewing a patient when asked to do so by a consultant, and failing to discuss the treatment of a terminally-ill patient with their family.

He is also said to have ignored a patient's request that a procedure be stopped as they were feeling uncomfortable.

Concerns over his general behaviour were also raised, including being rude to patients, being dismissive of colleagues and patients, and being over-keen to discharge patients.

Before the hearing could begin, the panel had to rule whether to allow Dr Pattar's chosen representative, Dr Rao.

The rules state a doctor may be represented by a solicitor, someone from a professional organisation or any other person at the discretion of the panel.

Dr Rao, who has been disciplined by a GMC panel, was allowed to represent the accused, but the panel said this was not an opportunity for him to raise matters from his case.