A disgraced GP who stole drugs by creating fake prescriptions is still not fit to return to practice, a tribunal has ruled.

Dr John McClelland was employed as a GP at Crowhall Medical Practice in Gateshead when between June and December 2018 he made the fake prescriptions, intending to keep the medication for himself.

He was suspended for 12 months by a Medical Practitioners Tribunal in June 2021, with the doctor saying he wanted to return to work.

But a hearing last week ruled he should still not be allowed to resume practice.

The 2021 hearing was told he would create a prescription, print it off, then delete it from the patient record computer system at the practice, meaning they couldn’t be immediately seen to anyone checking the record.

The drugs would then be collected at a pharmacy using the prescription.

He was convicted of fraud at North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in August 2019.

Dr McClelland also used the GMC number of another doctor of the same name.

Review hearings have been held every year since with the doctor repeatedly being suspended, with them concluding his “remediation remains incomplete”.

A review last week concluded his fitness to practice was still impaired, and suspended him for a further six months.

Recommended reading:

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Get access for one month for just £1, or get 30% off an annual subscription with our latest offer. Click here.

It said the doctor had demonstrated “genuine remorse and regret” and had taken “positive steps […] to remediate and reflect on his actions”.

But it added that he had not shown how he had kept his clinical skills up to date, and was not sure himself if he wished to return to medicine.

The tribunal concluded he will face another review in six months and will ask him for evidence on how he plans to return to work.