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Doctor Avoids Job Loss After Drink-Driving Crash
10 Mar
Summary
- A doctor refused a breath test after a drink-driving crash, citing Covid concerns.
- He was convicted of failing to provide a sample but allowed to continue working.
- This follows a prior suspension for moonlighting while on sick leave.
Dr. Daniel Coventry, a 35-year-old doctor educated at Oxford, will continue his employment with the NHS despite a drink-driving incident. The event occurred on January 1, 2021, when Coventry crashed his car into stationary traffic while en route to work. Police suspected intoxication and requested a breath sample, which he refused, citing concerns about Covid-19 as an "aerosol generating procedure" due to his ENT specialization. He subsequently offered a blood sample, but it was not taken.
Coventry was convicted in February 2022 of failing to provide a breath sample and was banned from driving for 12 months. This followed a period where he was dismissed from his post in May 2021. He was also suspended for six months in 2023 for working at a private cosmetic surgery clinic while on sick leave.
He admitted misconduct charges related to the drink-driving incident at a recent Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing. The tribunal imposed seven conditions on him, requiring him to disclose future employment details to the GMC for 18 months. Despite his actions, which were described as frustrating a lawful police request, the tribunal considered his stated infection control concerns.
