Doctor struck off for touching patient's breasts now chairing sexual misconduct hearings

A doctor who was struck off for touching a patient's breasts is now chairing sexual misconduct hearings.

Sudheer Shabir was disbarred after a General Medical Council tribunal ruled the touching of a patient was sexually motivated.

But the former junior doctor has now been handed a senior management role at a partially NHS-funded GP organisation.

He has even presided over an internal sexual misconduct hearing, the Mail has revealed.

Sudheer Shabir, who lost his appeal against the GMC's findings at the High Court in July 2023, now sits on the board of Pennine GP Alliance and manages their Central Halifax PCN.

It is understood Mr Shabir chaired a disciplinary hearing within the organisation that dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct — a revelation that has alarmed staff members, many of whom were unaware of his history until earlier this year.

Pennine GP Alliance is a member-led healthcare body encompassing 19 GP practices across the Calderdale area of northern England.

Organised as a limited company, it receives partial funding from the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board — an NHS body — as well as from NHS England and the local authority to deliver general practice services at scale.

Mr Shabir was hired by the organisation approximately two years ago, according to an insider, who claims that senior figures within the alliance were fully aware of his background at the time of his appointment.

Before being removed from the medical register, Mr Shabir had been practising as a foundation year two doctor — one of the most junior positions in hospital medicine.

The incident that led to Mr Shabir's removal from medicine occurred on September 23, 2019, when he assessed a female patient who had presented with dizziness and a sore throat.

The woman, identified as Patient A, was a regular sufferer of tonsillitis and was described as alert and orientated during the consultation.

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The witness statement revealed Mr Shabir used a stethoscope at her neckline before moving it lower, then asked her to raise her shirt for a fuller chest examination.

"He then put his hand inside my bra to touch the underside of my breasts and feel around them," Patient A said.

The GMC tribunal determined that no further physical examination had been clinically necessary.

The panel also found that Mr Shabir had failed to seek verbal consent, offer a chaperone, provide privacy, or document his actions in the patient's medical records.

Uncertain whether the examination had been appropriate, Patient A discussed the matter with her mother, who told her it was not. She returned to the surgery the following day with her father to raise the issue with the practice manager.

After reporting the incident to police on November 6 2019, she told officers that Mr Shabir had used his hands rather than the stethoscope when touching her breasts.

He attended a voluntary police interview the following month, although no criminal action was pursued.

A source within Pennine GP Alliance told the Daily Mail that the discovery of Mr Shabir's past had caused unease across the company.

"Shabir doesn't owe us anything, but his employer does. Someone with his background brought into an organisation like this, puts every staff member at risk," the insider said.

The GMC's conclusion that Mr Shabir's conduct was "fundamentally incompatible" with continued medical practice was upheld when his High Court appeal was dismissed on all grounds.

In response to the revelations, a Pennine GP Alliance spokesman said: "Pennine GP Alliance follows good recruitment practices and keeps robust safeguarding measures under constant review to ensure everyone encountering our organisation is safe.

"We adhere to robust disciplinary processes, with decisions involving multiple individuals supported by HR and legal specialists, ensuring compliance with our policies and ACAS guidance."

The organisation has meanwhile been a vocal and regular supporter of White Ribbon UK, a charity dedicated to ending violence against women by encouraging men and boys to challenge harmful gender norms.

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