A children’s doctor who lied to avoid paying more than £40,000 in maintenance has been blocked from a return to practising.
Dr Collen Nkomo, who worked as a locum GP and did shifts at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool, was struck off the medical register in 2018 after concealing fraud and drink driving convictions.
A tribunal at the time heard how Dr Nkomo, who lived in Altrincham, had lied to the Child Support Agency, falsely claiming that he was not properly working in the UK.
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) has again rejected his return to the profession, saying he had not fully accepted his wrongdoing, and that his skills may have declined to an extent patients would be at risk.
Dr Nkomo was given a 20-month suspended jail sentence for fraud in 2017 but failed to notify the General Medical Council (GMC) of this.
Dr Nkomo also failed to notify the GMC that he had admitted to drink-driving, driving without a licence and his failing to cooperate with a preliminary breath test in 2015.
After being struck off, his attempt to appeal the tribunal’s decision to the High Court was also dismissed.
In another attempt to be added back to the register last month, the doctor told a hearing that his actions were “despicable, crass and a result of foolishness and bad judgment”.
According to Dr Nkomo, he had been trying to keep up with his medical skills by completing a Master’s degree in drug design.
The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) report said the doctor had “regularly watched the television documentary series ‘GPs Behind Closed Doors’ in order to keep abreast of current issues and procedures”.
Dr Nkomo had examined friends and relatives who had complaints.
“This was done with their consent and they were always told not to rely on his diagnosis but to see an NHS doctor”, according to the MPTS.
Dr Nkomo pointed out that the offences occurred over a decade ago and said that he had not committed any other offences since that “difficult period”.
Despite hearing of his “profound remorse” and “desire to make amends”, the tribunal decided, for several reasons, to refuse his application to be restored to the doctoral register.
The panel cited concerns that Dr Nkomo’s skills may have “deteriorated” during his time away from clinical practice, which could place “patients at risk”.
The tribunal also determined that Dr Nkomo had not achieved full insight into his wrongdoing, and found evidence he had provided to support his remediation was “inconsistent and incomplete”.
He must now wait another 12 months before he can reapply for consideration.
