A man who posed as a plastic surgeon and left women with severe complications has been struck off the medical register and banned from applying to practise for seven years. Leslie Blackstock was found guilty of professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal for carrying out surgeries, primarily breast augmentations, on nine patients at an unlicensed clinic in Emu Plains, Sydney.
The Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) detailed multiple failings, including inadequate preoperative assessments, lack of informed consent, and poor postoperative care. Some women were discharged just 20 minutes after surgery. In one case, a patient suffered an infection requiring further surgery after Blackstock performed a procedure without an anaesthetist in his house, using surgical sheets draped over old armchairs.
The tribunal heard that Blackstock had no plastic surgery qualifications but falsely described himself as a plastic surgeon. He argued that no licence was required for the breast procedures because they were reconstructive, not cosmetic. However, the tribunal rejected this, noting he had pleaded guilty to operating in unlicensed premises for similar procedures.
One patient, identified as Patient J, told the tribunal: 'I cannot stand for my breasts to be touched or looked at. My right breast is very painful and I am waiting for it to split.' The tribunal agreed with an expert report that Blackstock's care was 'significantly below standard' and that he engaged in a 'gross dereliction of his duty of care'.
The tribunal found Blackstock had 'no regard for legislative requirements' and exposed women to unacceptable risks, including infection. His registration was cancelled, and he is banned from reapplying for seven years.
