A GP has been struck off for encouraging parents to lie and forge documents to misinform doctors about their children’s immunisation status.

Dr Jayne Donegan, who describes herself as a homeopathic practitioner, had her name erased from the General Medical Council (GMC) register following a tribunal that concluded on July 5.

The Barnet-based doctor’s actions were found to amount to misconduct in relation to one of the charges levelled at her during the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) hearing.  

At one lecture given in Brighton in June 2019, among other comments, Dr Donegan appeared to tell the audience how to falsify a child's health record, or red book, detailing their vaccine history.

Dr Donegan said: “What people do, which I would not recommend because I will get struck off, is people have a red book…and they have a friend who has had all the vaccines…and they just copy everything from their friend.”

The GP defended herself at the tribunal by claiming that she was using “humour” in her lectures.

But the tribunal did not accept that using the words “what people do, which I would not recommend because I would get struck off,” was a genuine attempt to disassociate herself from the idea that parents should mislead doctors.

Instead, it concluded that Dr Donegan’s words amounted to encouraging parents to lie and forge documents.

The tribunal’s report said: “Dr Donegan should carefully note that this tribunal’s findings do not relate to the rights and wrongs of her views on immunisation about which this tribunal has not made a determination, but address the fact that she encouraged parents to mislead healthcare professionals about their children’s…immunisation history.”

Following the outcome of the tribunal, Dr Donegan posted a statement on her website, in which she described the hearing as a “show trial”.

She said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be struck off. I have been trying to get off the GMC register for years.

“The worst possible outcome for me would have been ten more years of compulsory registration with GMC."

She added: “I will be continuing my lectures so the public can get the information they need to make informed decisions about vaccination.”