Leeds GP held phone consultations with patients after drinking alcoholic 'pre-mixed G&T cans'
A Leeds GP held phone consultations with patients under the influence of alcohol, a tribunal has heard.
Dr Trevor Milligan, whose last job was at the South Queen Medical Practice in Morley, has not worked for more than a year.
In June 2023, he was caught drink driving on the A643 Ingram Distributor and was handed a ban by Leeds Magistrates’ Court, along with a fine of £307.
And in an earlier incident at a practice in Batley, Dr Milligan was found to have held phone consultations after drinking “pre-mixed G&T cans”.
Now, a tribunal has found that Dr Milligan’s fitness to practise is impaired. But he will still be able to work - so long as he complies with a sanction of conditions that were imposed.
Dr Milligan qualified from the University of Leeds in 1997 and initially trained in paediatrics, before completing his GP training in 2007.
He practised as a GP up until June 2023, when he was convicted of driving a motor vehicle after consuming so much alcohol that the proportion of it in his blood exceeded the prescribed legal limit.
In an earlier incident, on August 26, 2022, Dr Milligan had been conducting an afternoon clinic at the Broughton House Surgery in Batley. He said in a statement that he was dealing with an “extremely intense workload” and was “becoming increasingly stressed”.
A meeting was subsequently held with colleagues to address the issues, the tribunal heard. However, when doctors visited him that afternoon, they “established that he had been drinking alcohol”, and a taxi was arranged to take him home.
Dr Milligan said in his statement that he had driven to the local supermarket “to try and process” the earlier meeting and had “purchased some pre-mixed G&T cans to have over the weekend”.
But the statement went on to say that he “consumed alcohol from one of the cans of G&T”. It added: “Although my recollection of that afternoon is poor, I understand that I did speak to some patients on the telephone. I am deeply regretful of my actions”.
Dr Milligan was subsequently advised to refer himself to the General Medical Council (GMC).
The tribunal heard that he later moved to the South Queen Medical Practice in Morley on March 20, 2023. While he “enjoyed the return” to work, he started to feel “under more pressure to take on additional sessions”.
Along with work pressures, Dr Milligan described the stress of being the victim of a burglary as background to his drink driving conviction. He has not worked since then.
A report from the tribunal said: “He [...] spoke of his love for medicine and [the] incredible honour he feels in being a doctor and to be trusted by patients with their health.”
In conclusion, the tribunal found that “Dr Milligan’s fitness to practise is impaired by reason of his misconduct, criminal conviction”. It was determined that the appropriate sanction would be a number of conditions imposed on the doctor’s ability to practise.
These include: notifying the GMC of any new post before he accepts it; allowing the GMC to exchange information any person involved in monitoring his compliance with his conditions; having a workplace reporter; supervision in all posts by a clinical supervisor; no working out-of-hours.
He must also only work in a group practice setting where there is a minimum of two GP partners; he must not work in any post for more than six sessions per week; and he must get the approval of the GMC before working in a non-NHS post or setting.
There will be a review hearing before Dr Milligan is able to return to unrestricted practise, which will take place towards the end of his current sanction period of 18 months.