A GP who had an affair with a patient’s wife is free to continue to practise following a ruling by the General Medical Council (GMC).
Dr Henry Kinch, 47, was found guilty of misconduct, but escaped with a formal warning about his behaviour relating to the affair with a former receptionist at his surgery in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex.
The GP told the GMC fitness to practise panel, sitting in Manchester, that his affair with Mrs B began when he fell in love with her on a “social trip” to Paris, where he had booked a double room in a hotel near the Eiffel Tower. Mrs B’s husband and Dr Kinch’s wife had been told that the pair were away working at a conference.
Mr B found out about the tryst when they returned from the trip in November 2007, tearfully telling the GMC that Dr Kinch had wrecked his 20-year marriage.
The GMC panel concluded that Dr Kinch’s “credibility was damaged” because of “inconsistencies” and “implausibility” in his evidence, but this was “outweighed” by his “remorse, regret and insight”.
He was given a formal warning, to remain on his record for five years to be disclosed to employers and future employers.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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