Dundee methadone doctor suspended for six months

By LYNDSAY BUCKLAND
Published on 23/03/2013 01:34

A SCOTTISH doctor has been suspended from practising for six months after he was found to be “a risk to patient safety”.

Dr Dennis Miller’s fitness to practice was found to be impaired by the Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal Service, which investigated his treatment of a patient at his practice in Dundee.

The panel found the doctor’s failings in the treatment of a patient with drug problems – referred to as Patient A – were “serious, persistent and occurred over a significant length of time”.

The failings included prescribing methadone to the patient without liaising with the Drug Problem Service (DPS).

Dr Brian Alderman, chairman of the panel, said: “The panel found that Dr Miller’s failings in relation to Patient A were made all the more serious by the fact that in 2009 he had received a formal warning from the GMC (General Medical Council) regarding his prescribing practice in relation to methadone.”

In an e-mail sent to the tribunal, the medic’s solicitor said: “Dr Miller tells me that at the moment he does not believe that he should be seeing patients and he has no wish to do so.”

Suspending his registration, the panel said they expected to see evidence of action taken.