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Suspended doctor paid £100,000 lost earnings admits failing in duty of care
Benedict Moore-Bridger8 Feb 2010
A locum doctor, who was paid more than £100,000 in lost earnings after being suspended following the death of a patient, today admitted failing in his duty of care.
Krzysztof Robak was paid £5,000 a month for more than 18 months after being suspended when he admitted providing inadequate care for an elderly patient. His payments during his suspension totalled £101,271.
The 62-year-old recommended Lilian Farren, 86, eat a Mars bar and have an energy drink, believing she had low blood sugar. But she had a serious heart problem and died hours later. After her death in July 2007, Robak was suspended from Kingston Primary Care Trust's list of approved GPs and disqualified from working for the NHS.
The trust started to pay Robak for lost earnings, despite his being employed by a privately run agency in West Yorkshire. The trust claimed it was required to do so under government rules.
The payments were stopped last March when Robak, of East Molesey, Surrey, was removed from the trust's books.
He has now been suspended by the General Medical Council, despite an investigation finding his inadequate care had not contributed to Mrs Farren's death, which it concluded was of natural causes. Robak admitted his payments were a mind-boggling waste of money, adding: The whole thing is a Kafka-esque comedy.
But he said he had been unwell with gout at the time of Mrs Farren's examination, and is turning to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg after failing in his appeal against Kingston PCT's decision at the Family Health Services Appeal Authority last March.
He said Kingston PCT's suspension precipitated the GMC's ruling and would be contested first.
Robak said: I was living under this terrible cosh, thinking I was responsible for her death.
"Half a year later I discovered the GMC investigation found it was natural causes. I did not give her my best service I did not check her blood pressure and my notes were terrible but I had a terrible pain in my knee.
A Kingston PCT spokesman said: We took the steps we needed to, complying with relevant regulations and legislation.
Reader views (3)
"The trust claimed it was required to do so under government rules."
Sounds about right.
He may not have directly caused her death, but he did nothing to prevent it.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 08/02/2010 12:32
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What a disgrace. "The whole thing is a Kafka-esque comedy". It certainly is for the taxpayer. Enough already.
- Peter, London, 08/02/2010 11:27
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Never understood why we pay doctors so much.
- Gavin, London, 08/02/2010 11:24
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