Hospital forced to pay out six figures in libel case

Senior medics at Barnsley Hospital first began their action against Dr Michael Fish shortly after he was engaged in October 2009, claiming he made false representations over his hours.

Dr Fish, a Leeds University graduate, denied all wrongdoing, but a complaint was made to his locum agency, Skipton-based HCL Doctors, and the General Medical Council was called in.

Investigators from the NHS Counter Fraud Agency were never alerted by the hospital and the GMC struck out most of the charges against Dr Fish in April last year, with a final charge overturned on appeal a month later.

However, Barnsley Hospital’s medical director Dr Jugnu Mahajan and clinical director in anaesthesia, Dr Ye Myint, continued to assert Dr Fish had done wrong, leading him to bring a libel action in the High Court on Tuesday.

Before the hearing began, Dr Myint and the hospital said it had decided to drop its allegations, leading to High Court judge Mr Justice Tugendhat to award damages and costs to Dr Fish.

Dr Fish, 45, who has a home in Kelso, Scotland, and is now working as a locum at hospital in Lincolnshire, said the ordeal had ruined his life and career for more than two years.

He added: “I wish I had never set foot in Barnsley Hospital. By the time it came to an end I was owed around £1,500 and instead of paying they continued to make allegations against me.

“Now they are facing a bill well into six figures. I think the people of Barnsley should be worried about the way their hospital is being managed.

“This essentially wrecked my working life for more than two years. People who would once have given me a reference completely ignored me because of what had happened.

“I feel vindicated by what has happened but also very angry.”

Last night a hospital spokesman said: “Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust can confirm that an settlement with Dr Fish regarding his outstanding libel claim against the Trust has been reached. The Trust has apologised to Dr Fish.”