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A top surgeon suspended for groping a nurse at a Manchester hospital can return to work, a tribunal has ruled. Dr Rajesh Shah was found guilty of serious misconduct after a disciplinary panel found he 'squeezed' the woman's bottom and 'brushed his body against her breasts' in two 'deplorable' incidents of sexual harassment . The 61-year-old also admitted calling female colleagues at Wythenshawe Hospital 'birds' when he couldn't remember their names and asking staff to complete parts of his mandatory training for him. Following a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in August 2024, Dr Shah, who was described as a 'leading light in thoracic surgery in Manchester', was suspended for 12 months. The General Medical Council later launched an unsuccessful appeal against the sanction , arguing the consultant thoracic surgeon should be struck off. It was alleged that between 2005 and 2021 Dr Shah, who qualified at Bombay University in 1988, 'behaved inappropriately' towards two female colleagues and that some of that behaviour 'constituted sexual harassment'. The tribunal found that the allegations made by one of the complainants were not proved. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here Following a complaint the hospital trust launched an investigation in 2021. Dr Shah was dismissed in April the following year and the matter was also reported to the police. There was, the tribunal said, an 'imbalance of power' between Dr Shah and the complainants. It heard that in 2014, Dr Shah squeezed the bottom of a female colleague, referred to as Colleague B, in a hospital coffee room. In 2019, he is said to have started a conversation with Colleague B, during which he 'brushed his body against her breasts' and 'squeezed her right buttock'. Describing himself as 'tactile by nature' Dr Shah said there may have been 'social touching', but denied any wrongdoing. Several other allegations spanning between 2005 and 2021 against Dr Shah were made by a different woman referred to as Colleague A, but were found not proved. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE At a review hearing on September 12 this year, Christopher Geering, representing Dr Shah, said the surgeon's 'extraordinary legacy' had been destroyed by his misconduct. Dr Shah 'had accepted that behaviour was sexually inappropriate and that he failed to appreciate the seriousness of the power differential', Mr Geering said. And he had undertaken several remediation courses, had shown 'insight' into his wrongdoing and, as the 2024 tribunal found, there was no risk of repetition, the solicitor added. Ruling that Dr Shah should be allowed to return to work the panel said he had 'remediated his conduct' and shown 'genuine insight' into his behaviour. It added Dr Shah was 'safe to return to unrestricted practise, having restored public confidence and maintained his clinical competence'.
