MMR deception doctor struck off

Dr David Pugh was struck off immediately to protect the public

A doctor whose clinics gave more than 1,000 children potentially faulty vaccines has been struck off.

The single-dose vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella were given at two private practices run by Dr David Pugh in Elstree and Sheffield.

One doctor told the General Medical Council (GMC) he feared children would be "poisoned" by the vaccines.

The GMC ruled Dr Pugh, who ran Lifeline Care Ltd, was guilty of "a serious breach" of professional standards.

It decided that his name should be immediately erased from the medical register because of the "serious nature" of its findings.

'Abuse of trust'

The GMC cited four areas in which his behaviour was "fundamentally incompatible" with remaining on the register: failure to provide an acceptable level of care, exploitation of vulnerable patients, repeated dishonesty and abuse of trust.

Dr Pugh had earlier admitted instructing one of his staff on how to prepare multiple doses of the vaccinations despite them having no medical or pharmaceutical qualifications.

He also admitted that the two clinics had decanted individual vaccines into multi-dose containers.

Dr Joel Bonnet, director of public health at Hertsmere Primary Health Trust, previously told a GMC panel he had had a number of meetings with Dr Pugh to discuss concerns about how the clinics administered the vaccines.

Dr Bonnet said Dr Pugh was told he would need to carry out a "recall procedure" for all 1,013 children vaccinated at the clinics since 2003.

The panel found that the letters he sent out to parents made a "number of misstatements" about his actions and the "possible consequences".

Children at risk

Dr Bonnet told the hearing he had been concerned about the potential for the children to have been "poisoned" or given an infection from the vaccines, and that the youngsters were at "greater risk" of contracting measles, mumps or rubella.

The panel had also heard that a number of parents had asked for tests to be carried out to discover if their children were effectively immunised.

Blood samples were sent to an independent laboratory, but in four of the reports received back Dr Pugh falsified the results and passed them on.

In December 2004, Pugh was sentenced to a nine-month jail term by Cambridge Crown Court after pleading guilty to four counts of using a false instrument with intent.

Dr Pugh, formerly of Bradmore Green, Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Herts, did not attend the hearing and is thought to be living in Runaway Bay, Queensland, Australia. He has 28 days to appeal against the GMC's decision.