An Inverness-born medic who branded himself a “dirty doc” in a bizarre bid to undermine false claims of sexual misconduct has been struck off.
Aberdeen University graduate Dr Kendon MacDonald, 39, penned a string of anonymous letters after he was suspended from the sexual health clinic at Salisbury District Hospital, Wilts, following a complaint from an unnamed patient in 2010.
He was later accused of performing unnecessary intimate examinations involving inappropriate touching of a number of women for sexual kicks.
MacDonald was cleared of the allegations, but was forced to admit he had called himself a “pervert” and a “sex pest” after he was identified by handwriting experts as the author of the smears.
He told the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) in Manchester he felt angry at how he had been treated and wanted to make it look as if there was a vendetta against him.
A fitness to practise panel, chaired by Pamela Mansell, heard about the “dysfunctional” hospital environment where loner MacDonald was the subject of gossip by nursing staff.
Colleagues would run down the corridor to stop the doctor from seeing a female patient, the hearing was told.
The sexual health specialist was told his “blatant and reckless” disregard for professional standards was “fundamentally incompatible” with continued medical registration.
Handing down the determination, Mrs Mansell said: “The dishonesty found proved was persistent, sustained and covered up over a prolonged period.
“By the writing of the letters, you created and perpetuated a false scenario in an attempt to get back at the trust.
“The nature of these letters and their wide distribution showed a disregard for the medical profession and your actions fell well below the standards expected of a registered medical practitioner.”
The tribunal heard MacDonald sent letters to Salisbury NHS Trust employees, GPs’ practices and even the General Medical Council over a 12-month period between 2010 and 2011.
He also used them as evidence of a plot against him at an MPTS interim orders hearing.
Some were written with a Salisbury NHS Trust letter head, with many asking recipients to copy and send on to others.
One letter began with the heading: “There’s a sex pest doctor on the prowl at Salisbury hospital”.
Another was headed “named and shamed” and read: “There has been a dirty doc called Dr MacDonald working here at Salisbury within our midst.
“For several months he molested patients at the sexual health clinic, known as a clap clinic.”
In one, he wrote: “He is a disgusting pervert who should be dismissed and the GMC of Great Britain should have him stopped from working as a doctor.”
MacDonald was sacked by the Trust in October 2012 after admitting to sending the letters.
He has always denied any of his conduct towards his patients was improper and the MPTS panel cleared him of any sexual misconduct, but found he had shown a “lack of sensitivity” in treating some women.
Giving evidence, MacDonald told the panel he had hoped the material would discredit those making allegations against him.
“It was all me trying to give the impression the trust had a vendetta against me,” he said.
“There was an attempt by me to discredit those who were speaking out against me.”
MacDonald was born in Inverness in 1974, went to school in Aberdeen and qualified in medicine from the University of Aberdeen in 1998.
He specialised in genitourinary medicine, and worked at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Royal Free Hospital, in London, and Bristol Hospital before spending five months as a consultant in Salisbury.
