A GP claims a colleague made her life a misery after she reported him to the profession's regulatory body for prescribing "potentially dangerous" drugs to patients, a tribunal has heard.
Whistleblower Dr Elizabeth Watson raised concerns with the General Medical Council about Dr David Syme's conduct at the rural Killin Medical Practice, near Crianlarich in Perthshire.
Dr Syme admitted inappropriately prescribing opiates and benzodiazepines at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, in Manchester.
But the medic denies acting aggressively towards Dr Watson after he found out he had been referred to the GMC in April 2013.
Giving evidence to the hearing, GP partner Dr Watson said her colleague lost his temper after he read the witness statements provided to the regulator.
"He was goading me with his hands," she said. "He was very, very angry. I understand he was angry because some of the statements [provided by other staff] were inaccurate.
"I can understand why he was so angry, but he was actually quite scary and I told him to get out of my room. He was pacing around. I can just remember … his presence because he is often quite a quiet man.
"For a man who does not like confrontation it was quite scary. I was in tears. I was crying after it."
Dr Watson said she was scared to go into work after the alleged incident, feeling she had been branded a troublemaker and the whole practice was against her.
"It was just awful. I basically just went into myself, locked myself in my room most of the time," she said. "Life was horrendous because he was bitching about me to staff all of the time.
"I was scared to go out for coffee. It was just horrible, awful.
"All I wanted to say was, 'I have done the right thing, I have acted in the interests of patients.'"
Dr Syme is accused of failing to provide good care to 15 patients at the practice between 2009 and 2013.
Many of the charges relate to him providing repeat prescriptions of strong drugs including Diazepam, Zopiclone and Dihydrocodeine and he has accepted his failings in many of the cases.
Dr Watson said she became concerned with the risks to patients because of Dr Syme's prescribing.
"My main issue with Dr Syme is his inappropriate prescribing of benzodiazepines and opiates," she said. "They are potentially dangerous if used wrongly or prescribed wrongly."
Dr Watson said she has noticed a positive change in Dr Syme's work since the concerns were raised, but she feels he still lacks insight into the seriousness of his actions.
She also claimed that Dr Syme had recently told her: "I will just get a slap on the wrists."
Dr Syme could face restrictions on his practice, suspension, or could be struck off the medical register if it is found his actions amount to serious misconduct.
The medic, who qualified as a doctor at the University of Edinburgh in 1978, is currently under temporary GMC restrictions that prevent him from prescribing opiate drugs, benzodiazepines or hypnotics.
Dr Syme denies failing to have sufficient regard to concerns raised about his prescribing by colleagues.
He also denies acting inappropriately towards Dr Watson after he was reported to the GMC. But he has admitted that in a number of cases he inappropriately provided medications to patients.
He has also admitted to breaching the prescribing policy agreed with his partners by prescribing the strong painkiller, Fentanyl, to a patient who had claimed to have lost his prescription.
The hearing, which is expected to finish on October 3, continues.
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