Worked to death: NHS dentist takes his own life 'after health bosses threatened to strike him off

because he couldn't keep up with paperwork for 10,000 patients'

Dr Anand Kamath was investigated over minor record keeping problems His wife and fellow dentist Dr Rajni Prasad accused health chiefs of driving her husband to suicide Dr Prasad said they felt 'very vulnerable and harassed and bullied' by Trust
By Eleanor Harding PUBLISHED: 13:50, 11 August 2013 | UPDATED: 01:12, 12 August 2013

5 shares 34 View comments

An NHS dentist who was so hardworking he never refused a patient was driven to suicide when health chiefs threatened to strike him off over his record-keeping. Dr Anand Kamath, 42, was the only NHS dentist in his area and took on as many people as he could so they would not have to pay to go private. But the father-of-three became the subject of an investigation when NHS officials criticised his recordkeeping, which had suffered due to his 10,000-strong list of patients.

Dr Anand Kam ath (right) had 10,000 patients on his books but w as threatened w ith being struck off because of m inor record keeping errors. His w ife Dr Rajni Prasad (left) accused health chiefs of driving her husband to suicide

His widow told an inquest he felt bullied and harassed after being summoned for a meeting and sent a letter warning he could be reported to the General Dental Council. Now the British Dental Association has called on the NHS to hold an inquiry into his death. His wife Dr Rajni Prasad, a dentist who worked alongside him, wept yesterday as she said over-zealous health officials had driven him to his death. It was just too much. They behaved like bullies and drove a loyal NHS servant over the edge, she said. He just couldnt take the anxiety. He wasnt eating or sleeping after the meeting. When the letter came that was the final straw. He gave everything to the NHS. He worried about losing everything if they stopped us practising.

She added: His reward for caring for thousands of patients no other practice would take was to be threatened with the most severe disciplinary action over administrative matters which we agreed straightaway needed improvement. The inquest in Wakefield, Yorkshire, heard last week how Dr Kamath and his wife, 42, had worked for the NHS in Leeds for ten years. The pair tried to take on as many patients as possible, giving them a list four times the length of the average practice. For the first four years at Rothwell Dental Surgery Dr Kamath did not take a holiday and rarely took a lunchbreak. At one point, the centre was treating up to 50 people a day.

Dr Prasad said her husband w as a servant to NHS

The couple were on a modest contract and could have earned tens of thousands more treating private patients. But after two minor complaints, the primary care trust conducted an audit which led to an investigation into record-keeping. The pair were called to a meeting in December where trust officials threatened to report them to the General Dental Council. Two days later a letter arrived from the same managers warning of action to suspend them from the list of NHS-approved dentists. Soon afterwards, Dr Kamaths wife found him dead at their home in Pudsey near Leeds. She told the inquest: We were both very stressed and felt vulnerable, harassed and bullied with no support offered. Wakefield coroner David Hinchliff recorded a verdict of suicide and said unreasonable pressure exerted on Dr Kamath by the trust pushed a good man over the edge. Dr Prasad said: I told my children dad died after a fall. How could I tell them the awful truth? An NHS England spokesman said: We are happy that the investigation that was being undertaken at this practice was following National Clinical Assessment service advice.AN NHS dentist who was so hardworking he never refused a patient was driven to suicide when health chiefs threatened to strike him off over his record-keeping. Dr Anand Kamath, 42, was the only NHS dentist in his area and took on as many people as he could so they would not have to pay to go private. But the father-of-three became the subject of an investigation when NHS officials criticised his recordkeeping, which had suffered due to his 10,000-strong list of patients. His widow told an inquest he felt bullied and harassed after being summoned for a meeting and sent a letter warning he could be reported to the General Dental Council. Now the British Dental Association has called on the NHS to hold an inquiry into his death. His wife Dr Rajni Prasad, a dentist who worked alongside him, wept yesterday as she said over-zealous

health officials had driven him to his death. It was just too much. They behaved like bullies and drove a loyal NHS servant over the edge, she said. He just couldnt take the anxiety. He wasnt eating or sleeping after the meeting. When the letter came that was the final straw. He gave everything to the NHS. He worried about losing everything if they stopped us practising. She added: His reward for caring for thousands of patients no other practice would take was to be threatened with the most severe disciplinary action over administrative matters which we agreed straightaway needed improvement.

The couple fell behind in their record keeping because of the huge num ber of patients they saw daily (file picture)

The inquest in Wakefield, Yorkshire, heard last week how Dr Kamath and his wife, 42, had worked for the NHS in Leeds for ten years. The pair tried to take on as many patients as possible, giving them a list four times the length of the average practice. For the first four years at Rothwell Dental Surgery Dr Kamath did not take a holiday and rarely took a lunchbreak. At one point, the centre was treating up to 50 people a day. The couple were on a modest contract and could have earned tens of thousands more treating private patients. But after two minor complaints, the primary care trust conducted an audit which led to an investigation into record-keeping. The pair were called to a meeting in December where trust officials threatened to report them to the General Dental Council. Two days later a letter arrived from the same managers warning of action to suspend them from the list of NHS-approved dentists. Soon afterwards, Dr Kamaths wife found him dead at their home in Pudsey near Leeds. She told the inquest: We were both very stressed and felt vulnerable, harassed and bullied with no support offered. Wakefield coroner David Hinchliff recorded a verdict of suicide and said unreasonable pressure exerted on Dr Kamath by the trust pushed a good man over the edge.

Dr Prasad said: I told my children dad died after a fall. How could I tell them the awful truth? An NHS England spokesman said: We are happy that the investigation that was being undertaken at this practice was following National Clinical Assessment service advice. FROM THE WEB
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Comments (34)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View newest 10 A tragedy. people working in the NHS need support. Where would we be without them? - Johhanes, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 16:56 Click to rate Report abuse If one dentist went so far as to kill himself, just imagine how the other dentists/doctors must be feeling. It's high time that NHS were once again run by people with eduction and common sense, i.e. doctors themselvesjust as in the past. - kgab2268, Oxford, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 16:50 Click to rate Report abuse Rating 678 Rating 849

10,000 patients? Really??? - John Smith, Sunny Donny, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 16:48 Click to rate Report abuse quiet astonishing that dm readers who readily dismiss the nhs as awful and deride its staff are now expressing sympathy. this government are expecting more and more for less and less. will then sell it to their friends. look at the blood transfusion service. - meme, Hereabouts, 11/8/2013 16:43 Click to rate Report abuse That is so sad, God bless him and his family. - Nicomi, London, UK, 11/8/2013 16:09 Click to rate Report abuse He looks a lovely, gentle man. - jan, Wales, 11/8/2013 16:08 Click to rate Report abuse This is the problem with the governments stance on the NHS, they throw so much at their workers and give them nothing back, but expect them to keep up the same standard of work and care, please tell me how the government expect them to do this? - Cc25, Scotland, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 16:06 Click to rate Report abuse poor man and his family , he took on more than he should have had to and with everything going on within the NHS thats how they repay him by threatening his livelihood. apparently with the NHS you cant win. your deserting the taxpayer if you go private and if you only take NHS patients your threatened over paperwork. - tamango, london, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 16:05 Click to rate Report abuse I'm in the business and believe me, the patient is just a cash cow, the average NHS dentist can make 250,000 a year quite easily, I have a client that sees approx 40 patients a day and loves it, as is witnessed by his Porsche GT3, Range Rover, multiple holidays abroad, the best of everything and the most fabulous house in Lancashire! - Mr Robot, New York, 11/8/2013 15:54 Click to rate Report abuse Rating 343 Rating 365 Rating 292 Rating 719 Rating 559 Rating 220 Rating 322

R.I.P - ms123, Coventry, 11/8/2013 15:47 Click to rate Report abuse A minor record keeping issue caused this NHS dentist so much stress that he took his own life... Remember him when you're slagging off other NHS front line staff for 'sitting at a desk' When I was a student I was taught that if it's not documented it's not done. RIP and thoughts to his wife and children. What a loss - mini mum, NI, 11/8/2013 15:47 Click to rate Report abuse I work for a Dentist but he got out of the NHS 6 years ago because he could see himself ending up just like this poor man. NHS Dentistry is an absolute disgrace. - she who must be obeyed, the world, 11/8/2013 15:46 Click to rate Report abuse I live directly opposite a dental practice and have waited ten years!! for her to have a vacancy in her practice because the number of people she can treat on the NHS is restricted. Fortunately I rarely have any trouble with my teeth so this has not been a problem, until that is a couple of months ago when I lost a filling and a nearby chunk of tooth and was in agony. I rang around all the practices in the area and finally managed an appointment at on four miles away (yay for bus passes), where I was treated by a delightful young Spanish dentist who could not have been nicer, more helpful nor given me better treatment!! - lizzie, aberdare, 11/8/2013 15:44 Click to rate Report abuse Why didn't he employ secretaries to do the book keeping? - J-s, Birmingham, 11/8/2013 15:44 Click to rate Report abuse Very sad RIP. - OMG can't believe it's true, Englishstani, 11/8/2013 15:40 Click to rate Report abuse What a terrible indictment of the NHS... Whoever is responsible ,and a person or people know who they are ,I hope they cannot sleep at night ..That this is on their conscience but I doubt it.. They will stride off to work as usuual satisfied that they did their job despite the death of this dedicated man... Shame on the NHS and RIP to this dedicated practitioner,husband and father.... - filmex, Budapest and London, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 15:39 Click to rate Rating 29 Rating 35 Rating 41 Rating 28 Rating 100 Rating 72 Rating 210

Report abuse The NHS is managed by bullies and protected as whistleblowers are sacked rather than praised. - nothing new under the Sun, Newry Down, 11/8/2013 15:37 Click to rate Report abuse So painful that three young children are without their daddy! R.I.P. Dr Kamath, my heart goes out to your family. Teachers are treated with the same contempt! - honeymoon, london, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 15:31 Click to rate Report abuse The general dental council needs investigating it seems out of control! - johnheppell, Norwich, 11/8/2013 15:24 Click to rate Report abuse Bullying is endemic within the NHS. The majority of cases do not make it to the Employment Tribunal. Compromise agreements are the order of the day! - MrsHappy, A Happy Home, 11/8/2013 15:21 Click to rate Report abuse Bureacracy is suffocating the life out of this country and what do we do, we invent more ways of increasing the paperwork at the cost of doing real productive work. The whole of the civil service needs an enema - Necromancer, Glasgow, 11/8/2013 15:21 Click to rate Report abuse Shocking. He gets disciplined for doing his job and helping people; and then drive him all the way to take his own life. This is now a nation brought to its knees by idiots on the top. When are the people going to stand up for themselves. You get what you vote for. Here is yet another reason to vote UKIP. - shawarmaxpat, Zurich, Switzerland, 11/8/2013 15:19 Click to rate Report abuse Hope the ppl who complained feel guilty now. - Taylor, Bradford, 11/8/2013 15:17 Click to rate Report abuse Whilst health bosses were a component in his death i don't see how they can be entirely blamed. You have a decision to Rating 34 Rating 32 Rating 33 Rating 49 Rating 46 Rating 43 Rating 60

take your own life and unfortunatley this man didn't feel he could carry on, probably due to various different reasons.Thoughts are with his family. - Laura, Middlesbrough, 11/8/2013 15:12 Click to rate Report abuse Sad sad story! Instead of the NHS to invest more on doctors they spend all the money on stupid administration. How can you force a doctor to overwork himself this way... Why not advertise for more dental surgeries or employ more dentist. For Christ sake he had a family! - me, nowhere, 11/8/2013 15:12 Click to rate Report abuse We need more dentists like this, not less - RIP. Those in the NHS responsonsible for this should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves, and made publically accountable for their actions. - Stephen, Lancs, 11/8/2013 15:04 Click to rate Report abuse My condolences to the widow. I hope she finds a competent and committed assistant dental practitioner so that the public do not suffer. All too often persons in authority look to the FORM, seeking out compliance with the minutiae of administration and missing the SUBSTANCE, the BIG PICTURE of delivery of service to the public. To threaten disciplinary action against such a background of service to the public rather than encourage or guide in order to effect compliance with administrative requirements raises to my mind serious questions about the competence of the Trust's management from a human resource and service delivery standpoint - gbgbaker, San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago, 11/8/2013 15:03 Click to rate Report abuse The same thing happened to a dedicated eye surgeon who was driven to a nervous breakdown by management and then when it was time to return to his job was refused. All that experience, talent and dedication lost. - Elizabeth Bennet, North West England, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 15:02 Click to rate Report abuse No one to be held accountable.......once again - No axe to grind, Swindon, 11/8/2013 14:57 Click to rate Report abuse Is it any wonder the the NHS is going downhill. If this is how they treat their workers. since when has it been a crime to try and help as many people as possible. My thoughts go out the the Dr's family. - LeonM, East Kent, 11/8/2013 14:51 Click to rate Rating 1040 Rating 35 Rating 51 Rating 27 Rating 36 Rating 35 Rating 68

Report abuse oh yeah bring in cheap dentists from eu again, they do not have to sit for any tests either unlike other non eu dentists and the gdc has the audacity to claim that their primary motto is to protect patients which is load of bull! - JJ, NA, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 14:51 Click to rate Report abuse I get asked on a daily basis why I don't train to be a dentist and every time I say because it's too stressful and not worth the hassle. So many take home so much stress with them and never switch off from work. Yes the money and lifestyle is nice but I would rather be poor and happy than rich and depressed. RIP. - Miss Opinionated, Up north, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 14:45 Click to rate Report abuse This is a very sad story, and even sader that this is only the tip of the iceburg. Things are going drastically downhill in the NHS as all they care about is targets and money. People - patients and staff that is - are just a mere afterthought in the process. Sad, sad times :( - Hunnybee, London, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 14:43 Click to rate Report abuse Just goes to show these little hitlers in the NHS forget they are dealing with REAL people and not just some admin procedure. There needs to be a common sense approach, get away from rules and start thinking about and helping those who you employe. Condolences to his family, there are not enough caring and thoughtful people in this world, perhaps this is why! - daz, Cheshire, United Kingdom, 11/8/2013 14:33 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rating 611 Rating 418 Rating 312 Rating 260

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