A doctor who falsified a patient's medical records in a bid to cover up failing to refer them for cancer treatment has been struck off the medical register.

Dr Adilya Abdul Rahim was brought before a tribunal after the incident at a surgery she was working at in Medway in 2018.

The GP saw a patient at the Church View surgery in Rainham complaining of potential symptoms and signs of lung cancer, the hearing was told.

Seven months later, the patient had been diagnosed with lung cancer and when Dr Rahim, who was a partner at the practice, had learned of this she amended the patient's notes to show symptoms requiring further investigations were not present.

A panel at the Medical Practice Tribunal Service (MPTS) ruled Dr Rahim breached professional standards and her dishonesty "went to the heart of public trust".

The tribunal hearing, which took place in April, was told the patient first saw Dr Rahim on January 2, 2018 complaining about a cough suffered since the previous October and shortness of breath.

The presence of these two symptoms require a mandatory referral for cancer investigations as outlined in national NICE and Medway health guidelines used by the practice.

But the tribunal found there was no follow up to arrange a chest x-ray or plan to reassess with a view to organising one at a future consultation.

The patient complained to the General Medical Council in December 2018 following their cancer diagnosis the previous August after registering with another GP.

The panel found Dr Rahim had failed to explain the importance of diagnosing a chronic cough or implement an appropriate management plan to see the patient within 14 days.

Despite the patient returning to see Dr Rahim on January 16 after the cough had not improved and further symptoms developed no more investigations were ordered.

Dr Rahim provided antibiotic treatment after diagnosing upper respiratory tract infection, the hearing was told.

The patient said at no point had Dr Rahim discussed investigating the symptoms of the chronic cough further which should have included a chest x-ray, peak expiratory flow rate measurement and spirometry.

Dr Rahim told the tribunal she recalled discussing the need for further investigation at the second appointment.

"Dr Rahim's dishonesty went straight to the heart of public trust..."

But original consultation notes provided to the tribunal found no consideration of further investigation into the cause of the chronic cough.

About six weeks later, the patient had joined a new surgery and there was no evidence of a follow up by Dr Rahim to arrange a chest x-ray with the patient.

The tribunal said this "supported the inference that there was no plan to arrange appropriate follow up investigations" adding it was likely there were "no arrangements" made.

It heard Dr Rahim changed records to show no shortness of breath had been reported and added notes stating no weight loss or chest pain had been reported.

The panel found Dr Rahim had deliberately made changes which were untrue and provided an inaccurate record of the patient's notes.

It also heard a letter sent to the patient in January 2019 following the complaint had referred to the amended notes without explaining they had been changed.

Ruling that Dr Rahim's "clinical failings were very serious" she has been immediately struck off from the medical register.

The panel noted her "longstanding and unblemished" career to date made her decision "wholly out of character" and had not been repeated before or since.

But although erasing her from the register would mean the loss of "a good doctor", the panel decided the impact of Dr Rahim's dishonesty was "too great" on public confidence in the medical profession to deserve a lesser outcome.

To keep up-to-date with all the latest developments with your local hospitals and other health stories, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway