Consultant anaesthetist accused of leaving patient mid‑surgery to have sex with nurse

A medical tribunal in Manchester heard that a consultant anaesthetist left a patient under anaesthesia during a keyhole operation to have sex with a nurse in an adjoining operating theatre.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service was told that Dr. Suhail Anjum, 44, was discovered in a "compromising position" with a colleague in Theatre Number Eight at Tameside General Hospital on Sept. 16, 2023, while he was the anaesthetist on a series of five operations taking place in Theatre Number Five. The tribunal was told the patient was undergoing a laparoscopic gall bladder removal.

Counsel for the General Medical Council, Andrew Molloy, told the hearing that during the third case, roughly halfway through the procedure, Dr. Anjum left Theatre Five saying he was going for a comfort break and that he had indicated this to the anaesthetic nurse on duty, referred to in evidence as Nurse SK. The tribunal heard that leaving for short breaks was not unusual and that anaesthetic nurses commonly provided cover when anaesthetists stepped out.

A scrub nurse who went to prepare equipment for the next case in Theatre Eight encountered Dr. Anjum and a colleague, identified in evidence as Nurse C. The nurse, referred to as NT, reported seeing Nurse C with her trousers around her knees and undergarments visible, while Dr. Anjum was described as tying the cord of his trousers. Nurse NT left and returned to Theatre Five and later reported the matter, the GMC said.

Mr. Molloy told the panel that Dr. Anjum returned to the operating theatre eight minutes after leaving. He said there was no dispute that no harm came to the patient and that the procedure was completed without further incident. Dr. Anjum later admitted that he had left the patient and had engaged in sexual activity with Nurse C, the tribunal heard.

Dr. Anjum, who is married and now working in Pakistan, told the panel he felt "shame and guilt at this horribly embarrassing incident" and said, "I don't know why it happened. I don't know what I was thinking." He described the episode as a unique, one-off error and said he deeply regretted his conduct, which he accepted fell "far short of expected standards."

Representing himself through counsel, Dr. Anjum gave personal context for his testimony, telling the tribunal he and his wife had been under considerable stress after the premature birth of their youngest daughter and that his wife suffered trauma during the birth. He said the family lacked wider support in the UK and that he had agreed to work on the Saturday to free a weekday to help at home. He told his barrister, Fiona Horlick KC, that he had no prior complaints against him and that he wished to return to the UK to resume his career.

The tribunal heard details of Dr. Anjum's training and employment. He qualified at the University of Health Sciences in Lahore in 2004, moved to the United Kingdom in 2011 and held posts in Bristol, Milton Keynes and Dartford before joining the Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust in 2015. He left the trust in October 2024, worked in Liverpool and returned to Pakistan in January.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service must decide whether Dr. Anjum's fitness to practise is impaired by misconduct. The tribunal heard that Dr. Anjum was interviewed after the incident and had acknowledged the conduct. Final submissions in the case were scheduled to be heard the following day.

The GMC's case focused on patient safety and professional standards, while submissions from Dr. Anjum and his counsel emphasized remorse, the absence of previous complaints and mitigating personal circumstances. The panel will consider those factors alongside the evidence that an anaesthetist left a patient under anaesthesia for several minutes and engaged in sexual activity on hospital premises.

No criminal charges arising from the incident were referenced in tribunal documents presented at the hearing. The tribunal's decision will determine whether sanctions affecting Dr. Anjum's registration to practise medicine in the UK are appropriate.