GP struck off for slapping vulnerable patient's bottom 'while saying woo hoo'

GP struck off for slapping vulnerable patient's bottom 'while saying woo hoo' Dr Nur Hotaki also sent his patient sexually explicit messages - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A GP who ran his own private beauty clinic has been struck off after kissing a patient, asking her to send him explicit images, and slapping her on the bottom. Dr Nur Hotaki had "taken advantage" of the patient, despite being fully aware that she suffered from "significant mental health issues", a misconduct panel heard. His sexual misconduct against the patient, whom he described as a "woman of class", involved promises that he would extend the "VIP treatment" to her – which the tribunal found meant sex. When his patient, identified solely as Patient A, revealed she had visited another clinic, he said that her decision "hurt and upset" him, adding: "I do miss you." The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service [MPTS] has now removed the doctor from the medical register after learning about his "deplorable" misconduct. Dr Nur Hotaki qualified as a GP in July 2012 and, until the complaint about his conduct, worked for one or two days a week as a locum GP. He was the founder and sole owner of Hotaki Cosmetic Dermatology in Central London, which he set up in September 2019. Patient A first started attending Dr Hotaki’s clinic in 2021, with the pair subsequently entering into an improper relationship at some point thereafter. She was married and had a family, the tribunal heard. Exact dates were removed from the MPTS’ judgement to protect Patient A’s anonymity. The tribunal read an email that Dr Hotaki wrote to the patient, which said: "I don’t want to recommend any other clinics to look after you the way I was and it does hurt and upset me for you to attend any other clinic…I must also say that I do miss you." In a later email, he wrote: "I am so happy you are coming back. Let me know please what treatments you wanted to have apart from your VIP treatment so I can prepare everything. We will need plenty of time to do everything." Patient A explained that the ‘VIP treatment’ meant sex. "The VIP treatment is a real service that Dr Hotaki provides to high end clients. However…in this instance he was offering to have sex with me," she said. He argued this was not the case, but it was found that Patient A was telling the truth. The two exchanged explicit messages for a period, and in an effort to hide his conduct, Dr Hotaki also texted his patient: "Make sure you delete these messages." He also sent her messages that said "you really turn me on" and "I am really looking forward to seeing you again". The patient also alleged that at an appointment in 2023, Dr Hotaki kissed her "passionately on the lips", and later gave her a "peck on the lips" when she was on the treatment couch. Dr Hotaki protested, claiming that Patient A had initiated the kisses, and he asked her to stop. However the tribunal found it was likely that he reciprocated, and had he been "unwilling", he would have stopped acting as her doctor then. On another occasion, he "slapped her bottom quite hard and said words akin to ‘woo hoo’ as he did so", the tribunal heard. It noted that this account had "the ring of truth" and found the allegation that Dr Hotaki slapped the patient’s bottom proved. At the same appointment, the doctor told his patient: “I like the way you dress, because you are a woman of class." The tribunal also found proved allegations that Dr Hotaki sent the patient messages asking if she liked anal sex and talking about masturbation and erections. He had also been aware that Patient A had "significant mental health difficulties" for which she was taking medication, it said. The MPTS was alerted to Dr Hotaki’s inappropriate behaviour and in November 2023 he was written a letter telling him that, pending official hearings, he must not treat female patients unattended. However, he continued to do so, which was reported to the MPTS. The service has now struck Dr Hotaki from the medical register. It concluded: "Dr Hotaki had failed to make the care of Patient A his first concern and had instead sought a sexual relationship with her. "The misconduct demonstrated by Dr Hotaki fell seriously below the standards expected of a registrant. "It was considered morally culpable by the Tribunal. Fellow practitioners would find his misconduct to be deplorable. "The Tribunal has found that Patient A was vulnerable, that Dr Hotaki knew she was vulnerable and that he took advantage of that vulnerability. "Dr Hotaki expressed no clear empathy for Patient A. "He poses a risk to patient safety and that the profession would be brought into disrepute if his practice was to not be found impaired. "The Tribunal was satisfied that erasure is the only proportionate outcome in this case and determined that the appropriate sanction was one of erasure."