BBC
Former Southern Health psychiatrist did other work while on sick leave
June 14, 2022

— Excerpt

A psychiatrist who called in sick, due to stress, and then worked for another provider hours later has been suspended for two months.

Dr Venkata Chintala was employed by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust during January and May 2019, when she said she could not work but completed 10 appointments for another provider.

She admitted misconduct and said she was “sad” and “disappointed”…

But the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) panel said while she was found to have “some insight” into her misconduct, it also found her “at times evasive and not entirely forthright”.

It concluded she was “part way along her journey of remediation” and although a risk of her repeating her error was low, it would still exist until she “gains full insight” into what she did…

Dr Chintala has since left Southern Health and currently works for the community mental health recovery team based at St Mary’s Hospital in Portsmouth.

The MPTS panel said her registration would be suspended 28 days from the date on which she is deemed to have been served with written notification of its decision, which she can appeal.