NHS doctor who admitted injecting drugs during shifts is suspended for another 12 months

An NHS doctor remains barred from work after stealing drugs and needles to give her an ‘energy boost’ – but initially blagged that they were to clean her fish tank.

Dr Suzy Ling was last year suspended for 12 months for raiding equipment stocks and injecting herself while on duty at Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire.

A Medical Practitioners Tribunal has now extended her suspension for another year as she displays ‘only limited insight’ into the ‘gravity’ of her misconduct.

The drugged-up paediatrician was first caught when a registrar noticed purple bruises on Dr Ling’s hand – before finding a brown paper bag with used cannulas and ‘sharps’ in her coat pocket. 

The registrar told the tribunal the Dr Ling had been ‘acting strangely’ that day and ‘seemed lethargic’ and kept ‘rubbing her face’.

Another doctor told the tribunal that ‘she was very pale and waxy in appearance’ and her hand looked ‘odd’ as it was purple and swollen.

Dr Suzy Ling was last year suspended for 12 months for raiding equipment stocks and injecting herself while on duty at Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire 

Initially when confronted Dr Ling claimed her tired appearance was down to a lack of fluids saying she ‘used to drink too much Diet Irn Bru’ and while trying to cut down had not had enough water as a replacement. 

She then even tried to claim she had only stolen the needles to clean her fish tank.

In a bizarre statement given to the hospital and read out to the tribunal she said: ‘On one occasion, after discussing it with the nurses on shift, I took a couple of the small orange, sharp needles, and some small syringes.

‘I took these home to use in my marine fish tank, as I needed to draw up, and inject a type of pest anemone.’

Dr Ling was suspended by the hospital in 2017 and police searched her house and questioned her – although they eventually dropped the case.

However, when Dr Ling was interviewed by the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2019 she admitted ‘self-injecting’ to keep her focused during her work.

She said: ‘I made a huge error. I took [unnamed drug], needles, syringes and cannulas, from the paediatric ward, of Salisbury District Hospital.

‘I self injected [the unnamed drug], on more than one occasion, usually whilst working.

‘I did this because it gave me the energy boost, and focus, that helped me cope with long, and variable hours. I know this was wrong, and I accept that it is my own, and no one else’ fault.’

Tribunal chair Ian Comfort said: ‘Dr Ling requires a significant period of time in order to remediate her impairment.

‘Dr Ling needs to demonstrate that she has reflected on her misconduct and has gained insight into the ramifications of that misconduct.’

The tribunal concluded that a further 12 month period of suspension was required and said it would help if Dr Ling was able to provide a ‘reflective piece’ demonstrating showing insight into the misconduct.