A Limerick-based doctor has been accused of professional misconduct for using a prescription form from a hospital where he no longer worked to prescribe a high-strength, highly-addictive painkiller for a family friend.
The doctor appeared before a fitness-to-practise hearing of the Medical Council, where he admitted the facts of certain allegations but made no admissions on whether they constituted professional misconduct and/or poor professional performance.
The inquiry heard a complaint was made to the Medical Council after a pharmacist working at a Boots’ pharmacy in Limerick became suspicious about a prescription submitted by a woman known as Patient A on October 6, 2021.
The fitness-to-practise committee overseeing the inquiry ruled the identity of the doctor cannot be made public.
The inquiry heard the prescription was on notepaper from the Department of Psychiatry at St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny, which was signed by the doctor.
The form contained a watermark which stated “not for MDA drugs”, although the prescription was for 28 days’ supply of OxyNorm — a strong opioid analgesic which is a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Counsel for the Medical Council, barrister Eoghan O’Sullivan, said the pharmacist subsequently established from the hospital the woman had never been a patient of St Luke’s, while the doctor had not worked there for about a year.
Mr O’Sullivan acknowledged the doctor had made certain admissions of fact in December 2021, including that he had written the prescription, which he accepted was inappropriate.
However, the inquiry heard the doctor claimed he had done so for “special and substantial reasons” for a family friend who was in severe pain from a long-term condition, erosive esophagitis.
The inquiry heard the doctor had only written the prescription to “tide her over a number of days”.
The inquiry heard the doctor, who qualified in 2011, has been registered to work in Ireland since 2017.
Although he was not suspended in relation to the subject matter of the inquiry, he has not practised medicine since a complaint was filed against him with the Medical Council.
An expert witness who gave evidence on behalf of the Medical Council, Fiona Fenton, said she believed the writing of the prescription for a controlled drug when he was not working at St Luke’s to someone who was not his patient constituted professional misconduct, as his actions fell considerably short of the standards expected of doctors.
The witness pointed out OxyNorm was a strong opioid painkiller which is only recommended for advanced cancer or post-operative pain management.
She told the inquiry the drug should only be prescribed for short-term use because it is addictive and she regarded it as “quite dangerous”.
The psychiatrist said the proper reaction from the doctor when asked for pain relief by Patient A would have been to refer her to an on-call doctor service, or the emergency department of a local hospital.
The doctor’s solicitor, David Higgins, said his client was genuinely remorseful and had learnt from the incident.
Mr Higgins said what happened was a “one-off incident”.
The fitness-to-practise committee made no findings against the doctor after it accepted the offer of an undertaking by him about his future conduct and to complete a continuous professional development course on prescribing in advance of resuming medical practice as well as consenting to be censured.