A nurse has told a tribunal how she stumbled across a doctor in a 'compromising' position with a colleague when he was supposed to be in surgery.
Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, slipped out of an operating suite at Greater Manchester's Tameside Hospital to have sex with the unnamed healthcare worker known only as Nurse C.
The consultant anaesthetist had been in theatre with a male patient on 16 September, 2023, when he asked a colleague to keep tabs on him while he took a 'comfort break'.
However, the married dad actually headed to another surgical suite at the hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne for an on-the-clock rendezvous with Nurse C.
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The pair had sex in theatre eight before their liaison was rumbled by another nurse, known as Nurse NT, who found them in a 'compromising position'.
The 'shocked' woman's account of the incident was explained at a medical tribunal, which is set to decide whether Dr Anjum is still fit to practise in the UK, due to misconduct.
Andrew Molloy, representing the General Medical Council (GMC), said: "She described seeing Nurse C with her trousers around her knee area with her underwear on display and Dr Anjum was in the process of tying up the cord of his trousers.
"Nurse NT was shocked and quickly walked through the theatre to the exit doors. Dr Anjum returned to theatre five and was gone for about eight minutes before his return."
The tribunal heard that 'no harm came to the patient' while the doctor was absent from theatre, and the procedure proceeded without further incident.
Nurse NT ultimately reported the incident to her line manager before the GMC opened a case into it.
Dr Anjum said he did not dispute the claims and admitted engaging in sexual activity with Nurse C - revealing that he knew she was 'likely to be nearby' when he left his patient.
He acknowledged that he had put the patient at risk, saying that it 'breaks him to pieces every day when he thinks about it'.
"I have always set very high standards for myself because the job is my passion," the medic said. "I don’t know how and why it happened but I wish I could reverse it.
"I offer my sincere apologies to everyone involved and I want the opportunity to put this right."
Dr Anjum said it was 'unfair' of him to ask the anaesthetic nurse to cover for him while he nipped out, and he said he had also put Nurse NT in an 'awkward position'.
He told the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS): "It was quite shameful, to say the least. I only have myself to blame. I let down everybody.
"Not just my patient and myself, but the trust and how it would look. I let down my colleagues who gave me a lot of respect."
The doctor explained that he had left Tameside Hospital in February last year and returned to his native Pakistan, but wanted to resume his career in the UK.
He described the incident as a 'one-off error of judgement' which occurred during a 'stressful time' in his life, as his youngest child had been born prematurely in January 2023.
"Our daughter was born premature, with a very, very low birth weight," Dr Anjum said. "My wife had a very traumatic delivery, it was quite a stressful experience. We failed to connect as a couple during that time.
"It took a toll on my personal life, my mental health and wellbeing, and my work at the hospital."
Dr Anjum's fate has not yet been decided by the tribunal.
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Olivia Burke