A DOCTOR has been hit with a formal warning after she failed to reveal the fact she had received cautions for criminal damage and using threatening behaviour.

Dr Uchenna Gandonu, who in 2019 worked at Colchester Hospital, was handed a warning by the Medical Practitioner’s Tribunal Service following a hearing in August.

Publishing the decision on its online register of doctors, the General Medical Council said Dr Gandonu accepted cautions for offences of criminal damage and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour in August 2016.

Despite this, she failed to notify the council “without delay” that she had accepted the cautions.

Instead, she told the council about the cautions in June 2019, following a background check which contained details of the offences.

The council said: “This conduct does not meet with the standards required of a doctor.

“It risks bringing the profession into disrepute and it must not be repeated.”

The tribunal had heard Dr Gandonu had alerted the council to the issue herself, after discovering the background check revealed the formal police cautions.

She had said she was not aware it was a criminal offence and had considered the matter closed at the time.

The council said: “The required standards are set out in GMP and associated guidance.

“In particular, Dr Gandonu’s attention is drawn to paragraphs 1 and 75 of GMP: 1 ‘Patients need good doctors. Good doctors… act with integrity and within the law’ and 75 ‘You must tell us without delay if, anywhere in the world: a. you have accepted a caution from the police or been criticised by an official inquiry’.

“Whilst this failing in itself is not so serious as to require any restriction on Dr Gandonu’s registration, it is necessary in response to issue this formal warning.”