An English doctor had her license to practice suspended for three months after she was caught working drunk. Catherine Aspinall, 38, worked at Westway Medical Center in Maghull, England, and was fired after complaints from a patient about her behavior.
The case took place in February 2022, but the decision against the Englishwoman was only taken last week, after a hearing by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS), the British body responsible for the practice of medical ethics.
Catherine’s co-workers said they found their colleague stinking of alcohol after the patient complained. She was so intoxicated that she couldn’t even stand or have a coherent conversation.
According to the local newspaper Liverpool Echo, another doctor on the hospital team had seen an empty wine bottle on Catherine’s table. She admitted to her colleagues that she had taken “a few sips” during the morning.
Doctor’s judgment
At the MPTS hearing, the Englishwoman admitted consuming alcohol during work and treating patients under the influence of alcohol, judging her own behavior as “horrible” and “disgusting”. However, he placed part of the blame on the stress of the workload and long hours.
This was not the first time that Catherine was reported for drunkenness. In 2016, the doctor received a warning after being convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, which had an impact on the most recent trial. The court found that the two episodes involving alcohol put the public at risk.
“Dr Aspinall’s misconduct involved her becoming significantly intoxicated during surgery. Her actions place patients at an unjustified potential risk of harm,” the court was told.
Catherine’s defense asked for a shorter suspension, of just one to two months, arguing that the loss of her job had already caused “a serious impact on the family’s finances”. But the Court understood that the three-month punishment was “appropriate and proportionate” to the case. The doctor can still appeal the decision.
