Overview
- Late May 2026 the Medical Practitioners Tribunal suspended consultant neurosurgeon Dr Chirag Patel for eight months after he admitted a sexual relationship with a patient and unsafe prescribing.
- Tribunal records show the relationship began after surgeries in 2019 and that between 2022 and January 2023 Dr Patel prescribed morphine sulfate (MST) and diazepam without recording the prescriptions or informing the patient’s GP.
- The panel concluded the patient was vulnerable and that repeated requests for painkillers may have reflected addiction, finding Dr Patel showed a reckless disregard for patient safety by placing personal interests above her care.
- The General Medical Council argued for erasure from the medical register, but the tribunal weighed evidence from the hospital that striking him off would cause 'considerable hardship' and chose suspension instead to protect patients.
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board declined to say whether Dr Patel will return after suspension, and the case has raised concerns about safeguarding, prescribing oversight, and reliance on single specialists in regional services.