'Moonlighting' doctor resigns

Ninewells Hospital has been dogged by problems

A Scottish consultant who was suspended after claims he was working at a private hospital while supposedly on sick leave has resigned.

Dr Frank Mackay, who worked as an anaesthetist at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, was accused by colleagues of "moonlighting".

The 37-year-old was suspended from duties following the accusation he had been working at Fernbrae Hospital in Dundee.

Tayside University Hospitals Trust confirmed on Wednesday that Dr Mackay had apologised and resigned and that a replacement would be appointed as soon as possible.

No further action

A trust spokeswoman added: "No concerns had been raised about either Dr MacKay's clinical competence or about his clinical practice.

"The trust will be taking no further action."

The resignation is a further blow for the health trust, which is under investigation by a government task force after it ran up a £12m deficit.

In June another Ninewells anaesthetist, Dr Iain Gray, resigned, citing the "stress and pressure" of battling the massive overspend.

Robert Wood admitted encouraging patients to lie

And last month Robert Wood, a consultant general surgeon at the same hospital, caused a storm when he admitted he told cancer patients to exaggerate their pain in order to jump long waiting lists.

Dr Mackay's resignation has highlighted the problem of conflicting interests between consultants' private and public work.

Patients' groups have called on the government to tighten up consultants' contracts so that NHS patients do not lose out to private patients.

And Shona Robison, SNP MSP for North East Scotland, said: "Moonlighting from the NHS cannot be condoned in any circumstances but it is even more serious when we are losing consultants at a time when the health services in Tayside are in such a state of crisis."