A COLCHESTER doctor who sent “sexually motivated” messages to a patient after taking their urine sample has been suspended for six months.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) found Dr Rajan Kuriakose’s fitness to practise had been impaired because of incidents in August 2019, after a hearing held on June 24 this year.

An earlier tribunal held in 2021 found he obtained the patient’s phone number from private records after supervising the provision of their urine sample, according to an MPTS decision notice.

The notice says Dr Kuriakose, who was practising at the Bluebell Surgery in Colchester where his role included contracted duties for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as a franchised doctor at the time of the incidents, sent text and WhatsApp messages to the patient on one or more occasions, “seeking to pursue an improper emotional and sexual relationship”.

Dr Kuriakose partially accepted responsibility for his actions, acknowledging they were inappropriate but denying they were sexually motivated.

Bluebell Surgery and North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group declined to comment.

Read more:

A section of the notice read: “The 2021 tribunal determined that Dr Kuriakose’s sexually motivated pursuit of an improper emotional relationship with Patient A fell far below the standard of conduct expected of registered medical practitioners and is conduct that would be considered ‘deplorable’ by fellow practitioners.”

After the 2021 tribunal, Dr Kuriakose was suspended for 12 months, partly to give him  time to address the areas of concern and demonstrate insight into his conduct.

But he has now been suspended for a further six months as a result of the second tribunal.

The tribunal said he has started his journey of remediation by recognising what he did was wrong and taking a professional boundaries course in June 2021.

But the notice continued to claim Dr Kuriakose had not provided any reflections either on the course or his misconduct, and the tribunal has no information he understands the impact of his misconduct on Patient A or the wider medical profession.

Furthermore, it says there is a risk of repetition because the doctor has chosen not to fully engage with the proceedings.

Dr Kuriakose told the tribunal he intends to retire and has started the process of voluntary erasure.

However, according to the notice this process has not been completed.