The General Medical Council found Sanjay Ingley guilty of serious professional misconduct on Wednesday.

Mr Ingley, who was infected with the virus, had continued with an operation despite the fact that his finger was bleeding.

The hospital operation was performed last year

Pensioner Blodwen Jenkins, aged 83, died 14 weeks later.

The General Medical Council was told that surgeon Mr Ingley admitted cutting his finger during the operation, but denied it was bleeding heavily.

Mr Ingley insisted on continuing with the hip replacement operation, saying it was in the best interests of the patient.

Mr Ingley carried out the procedure at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor last July.

He took up the job as a registrar specialising in orthopaedics at the hospital in July, despite knowing he was infected with hepatitis B.

Bleeding heavily

Mr Ingley was also accused of taking inadequate precautions to protect patients and colleagues.

The hospital was aware that he carried the virus, which is transmitted through blood, but allowed him to carry on working because he was considered to be a low-risk carrier.

Staff Nurse Elaine Gregory, from Anglesey, who assisted in the operation on the elderly patient, told how Mr Ingley had cut one of the fingers on his left hand when he made the incision.

"It was bleeding quite heavily," she told the GMC hearing. "You could see the blood.

"I would say it was oozing. I vaguely remember swabs being used and another pair of gloves was put on the top of the ones he was wearing."

Patient's 'best interests'

Mrs Gregory, who was not aware at the time that Mr Ingley had hepatitis B, said she was concerned about the amount of blood and also the fact that the surgeon said his finger was numb. But he insisted on carrying on, saying it was in the patient's best interests because the incision had been made.

The surgeon admitted cutting his finger to the GMC

Mrs Gregory, who said she was standing so close to the surgeon that she was "almost touching him", added: "As the operation progressed, you could see it (the blood) coming up the glove to the palm. That was how it appeared."

She said that after the operation, one of the other nurses was concerned that an accident report form should have been filled in about the cut. The hospital said that none was filled in at the time.

Hospital knew

Dr Lindon Miles, who worked in the hospital's occupational medicine department at the time, said that one of Mr Ingley's previous employers wrote to the hospital just before Mr Ingley was taken on, telling them that he had hepatitis B but that he had been allowed to carry on operating.

Dr Miles said he phoned Mr Ingley, who agreed to undergo further tests, which showed he was still a low-risk carrier.

The two men spoke on the telephone before Mr Ingley took up his job at the Ysbyty hospital, when Dr Miles impressed upon him that he had to carry on taking "extraordinary procedures" in order to stop transmission.

Mr Ingley said he had undergone counselling after discovering he had the virus, and Dr Miles said he was satisfied that he knew what he should do to be able to work safely.

He then issued a certificate saying that the surgeon was fit for duty.

Sincere condolences

In a statement after the hearing Dr Ingley's solicitor, Hugh Edwards, said: "At the outset Dr Ingley wishes to express his sincere condolences to the family of Mrs Jenkins for their grievous loss.

"At the time of the operation he believed, as he now appreciates wrongly, that he was not capable of transmitting the Hepatitis B virus to Mrs Jenkins.

"Had he been made aware that such transmission was possible he would undoubtedly have acted very differently.

"The proceedings highlighted a number of serious deficiencies in the guidance currently provided to the medical profession in the respect of health care workers who are Hepatitis B carriers.

"Dr Ingley sincerely hopes that these short-comings are addressed comprehensively and new guidance issued as soon as possible."