Doctor struck off after tribunal finds repeated lies and concealed course failure
A doctor has been struck off the medical register after a tribunal found she persistently lied about a demotion and concealed her failure in a life support course from her new employer. Dr Surrayya Najeeb, who worked as a locum consultant at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals before moving to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, deceived hospital management about her change of role and the concerns that prompted it. The tribunal concluded she posed a high risk to patient safety and that allowing her to continue practising would seriously undermine public protection.
Dr Najeeb worked at Blackpool from June 2021 to February 2023, where she was demoted from consultant to registrar following concerns about her clinical ability and conduct. She failed an advanced cardiovascular life support course two days before her interview at QEH but did not disclose this or her previous demotion when applying for a consultant position there. A General Medical Council performance assessment found her clinical management "unacceptable", with examples including ordering an unnecessary MRI on a dying patient with back pain and investigating a pregnant woman with suspected pulmonary embolism for sinusitis instead. The tribunal found her dishonesty was deliberate and sustained, and that she demonstrated no meaningful insight into her actions or willingness to address her shortcomings.
- Doctor struck off after lying about demotion and concealing failed life support course
- Tribunal found persistent, deliberate dishonesty posed high risk to patient safety
- Her clinical assessment found unacceptable, with examples of poor medical decision-making
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A doctor has been struck off the medical register, meaning she can no longer practise medicine in the UK. Dr Surrayya Najeeb worked as a senior doctor at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, where she was demoted to a junior role because of concerns about how she was treating patients and her professional conduct. Shortly after this demotion, she applied for a senior consultant position at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn without telling them about her demotion or her failure in an advanced life support course.
The tribunal that investigated her case found she had made poor clinical decisions, including ordering unnecessary tests and misdiagnosing patients with serious conditions. Her application to the new hospital was dishonest—she did not disclose either her previous demotion or that she had failed the life support course just days before her interview. The tribunal concluded that allowing her to continue working would put patients at serious risk, which is why she has been removed from the medical register.
Being struck off is the most serious sanction a medical regulator can impose. It means the doctor can never legally practise medicine in the UK again without successfully appealing the decision. The case highlights how the medical system relies on doctors being honest about their background and on regulators being able to investigate concerns about a doctor's suitability to practise.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Doctor who lied about a demotion and failing life support course is struck off the medical register”.