JUNIOR hospital doctor Sumit Mukherjee has been found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council while working in Bury.

The GMC ruled Dr Mukherjee, who had worked at Bury General and Fairfield hospitals, prescribed drugs excessively and irresponsibly.

He breached conditions placed on him at a previous appearance before the GMC when he was told that he could not continue to prescribe controlled drugs and must tell any future employer of his past record.

But Dr Mukherjee (34), registered as of Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, Essex, failed to do that when he applied for a job at the Caerphilly Miners Hospital in Wales. After a week-long hearing, the GMC's professional conduct committee found him guilty of serious professional misconduct.

He must undergo a series of health tests to determine his fitness to practice.

In the meantime, Dr Mukherjee will be banned from prescribing or adminstering controlled drugs and will have to tell any employer or potential employer of his appearance before the GMC and the conditions imposed on his registration.

In May last year, Dr Mukherjee's case had been considered by the GMC's preliminary proceedings committee which decided that his registration should be suspended for six months pending the full hearing of the misconduct allegations.

But he had since accepted work as a locum clinical assistant at Chelmsford and then moved on to Caerphilly.