A junior doctor has been suspended for 12 months after lying to the NHS about attending a training day when she was actually getting married. Dr Preethi Suresh, a cardiology trainee, dishonestly filled out registration forms and uploaded a certificate to her professional portfolio, falsely claiming she had completed the training session.
The deception came to light when consultant cardiologist Professor Vassilios Vassiliou, who was supervising Dr Suresh at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, noticed she was booked on leave rather than training. When confronted, Dr Suresh admitted the lie, saying she had “hit the panic button” due to a “chaotic state of mind” surrounding her wedding.
Dr Suresh had booked leave from 26 February to 1 March 2024 for her wedding. On 29 February, a training day took place, with QR codes circulated via WhatsApp for attendance registration and feedback. Dr Suresh completed both forms and uploaded the certificate, despite not attending.
At a Medical Practitioners Tribunal hearing, Dr Suresh accepted her actions were seriously dishonest and expressed remorse. She said she had struggled to attend training due to on-call shifts and exhaustion after night shifts, and mistakenly believed she needed about 70 per cent attendance when she was actually above the required level. The tribunal ruled her misconduct as the highest level of seriousness, leading to a 12-month suspension.
