An A&E doctor who fell asleep while working for 36 hours has kept his job after NHS bosses were accused of ‘catapulting him into a senior role he was never fit for.’

Dr Tarek Seda, 41, who qualified in Egypt, was found to have failed at least three patients.

He was also deemed not to have sufficient qualifications to be in charge of a hospital’s emergency department, yet was assigned as the only senior doctor on duty during two consecutive night shifts.

A tribunal found that his ‘poor judgements’ could so easily ‘have led to seriously adverse outcomes, including death.’

The incidents took place at Kings Mill Hospital in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, in 2017 after Seda worked night shifts plus a day shift in between.

Before his employment, it is believed that Seda was interviewed over Skype for the job, but officials failed to properly establish his job credentials.

One of the women he examined for heart issues was mistakenly given betablockers, while another patient who had a fever after being treated for cancer, was given a cursory examination from Seda from the bottom of her bed.

A third patient who was seriously ill had a breathing tube inserted in his throat without anaesthetic being administered.

It emerged that Seda had been given little training or assessment by officials at the Sherwood Forest NHS trust and had fallen asleep during his shifts due to severe exhaustion.

A report compiled by a medical expert said: ‘This doctor has been catapulted into a senior role he was never fit for and was stuck on the night shift.

‘His employer never assessed how competent he was and never gave him a proper induction.’

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Seda was found guilty of serious professional misconduct but escaped with a 12 month suspension.

He was also found guilty of unrelated dishonesty offences. He has since been working at a hospital in Oman.

Elizabeth Dudley-Jones, lawyer for the General Medical Council, said: ‘The fact is, he clearly was under pressure from his employers to work consecutive night shifts and a day shift in between – but any exhaustion or lack of experience doesn’t excuse him.

‘The main reason for imposing sanctions is to protect the public and there have been serious breaches of good medical practices – one involving deficient performance which posed a risk to patient safety.

‘The doctor made a series of poor judgements which so easily could have led to seriously adverse outcomes, including death.’

Seda himself told the hearing it had been ‘difficult for him to act independently’, and that he did not have ‘enough support or a heads up’.

He said: ‘I was trying to do my best but I can’t work alone.’

Seda also admitted he should have ‘clarified or explained’ his work history, but that he wanted to be ‘trained to do the job properly’.

His lawyer Alan Jenkins said Seda said: ‘Obviously he was trying to do the best he can, but he can’t work alone with no training, assessment or educational supervision.’

‘When he applied for the position at Kings Mill hospital he said he wanted to work part time and not on a Tuesday. But that information wasn’t passed on. He did a total of 30 shifts and had no complaints made during the first 28 shifts including the first night shift.’

Panel chairman Ms Christina Moller told the hearing: ‘The Tribunal found many instances where Dr Seda’s care fell below, and in some areas seriously below, the standards expected of someone in his position.’

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