Surgeon suspended for touching junior colleague

A surgeon who sexually harassed a junior staff member while at work has been suspended following a tribunal.

Rajesh Shah was found to have twice touched the female colleague inappropriately in a coffee room and outside an operating theatre while a consultant at Wythenshawe Hospital.

The "unwanted and inappropriate" touching was judged to be "serious misconduct" by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

It found Mr Shah's actions were a "serious breach" of professional standards and suspended him for 12 months.

His suspension followed a number of allegations of inappropriate behaviour by two female colleagues between 2005 and 2021 while he worked as a consultant at the hospital, the tribunal was told.

The lung surgeon had been dismissed in 2022 by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust after an investigation.

Mr Shah was also interviewed by police after the allegations were reported to Greater Manchester Police.

The tribunal heard Mr Shah steered the woman, referred to as Colleague B, to a coffee room before hugging her and squeezing her buttocks in 2014.

The woman described in evidence as feeling "upset and shocked" by his actions.

In 2019, Mr Shah was found to have inappropriately touched her outside an operating theatre.

She formally complained and later received an apology letter from Mr Shah.

"I got the impression that he knew what he did was wrong, the conversation was very quick," she said in evidence heard at the tribunal.

Mr Shah was also reported to have used the words "good girl" and "bird" to describe another female colleague and asked staff members to complete his mandatory training for him.

Though not judged to be serious misconduct, the panel said the language used was "unprofessional", adding the training incident set a "poor example".

He was suspended for sexual misconduct which "fell far short of the standards of conduct reasonably expected of a doctor," the tribunal ruled.

It acknowledged that Mr Shah had apologised for his actions, adding the suspension and findings would have a "grave impact impact on his professional reputation".

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to [email protected]and via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.