Suicide 
verdict on dentist who 
felt ‘bullied’

Dr Anand Kamath, 42, was under investigation by NHS Airedale, Bradford and Leeds over the keeping of records at Rothwell Dental Surgery – which he ran with his wife and fellow dentist Dr Rajni Prasad.

The inquest at Wakefield heard father-of-three Dr Kamath had injuries to his wrists when he was found dead in the bath at his home in Pudsey on December 3 last year – just days after he and his wife had attended a meeting with the health trust.

The inquest heard the trust had threatened to refer the practice to regulatory body, the General Dental Council. In a statement read to the court, Rajni Prasad described how they had felt after the November 28 meeting: “My husband and I were both very stressed by this and both felt very vulnerable and harassed and bullied with no support offered.”

Recording a verdict of suicide, West Yorkshire Coroner David Hinchliff said: “There had been a complaint and an investigation, not about his ability as a dentist, but in relation to record keeping which had put him and his wife under an intolerable strain.

“It seems he was in grave danger of being reported to the General Dental Council, being removed from the list of practitioners which would have ended his career.”

After the hearing, a spokesman for NHS England (West Yorkshire) said: “The Local Area Team has taken over responsibility for commissioning of dental practices from the former PCT and although we were not involved in this case at the time the legacy has been passed to us.

“We are happy that the investigation that was being undertaken at this practice was following National Clinical Assessment service advice. Safety and quality of service is our priority and so we will always investigate when complaints are received. This can be stressful for some but we try to work with providers to ensure the process runs smoothly.”