A HEARING into the conduct of a doctor who failed to identify cancer in 61 East Lancashire women has been postponed.

Dr Glenn Anthony Kelly was formally charged with ‘deficient professional performance’ by the General Medical Council (GMC) and was set to face a Fitness to Practise hearing today.

If the allegations were proved he could have been struck off the medical register.

But his professional body announced a delay in proceedings on Friday, four days before a panel were due to meet in Manchester to consider Dr Kelly’s case today.

A GMC spokesman said she could not say why the hearing had been postponed, nor confirm when it would be rescheduled.

The investigation will surround Dr Kelly’s performance during his assessment of 17 patients between September 2006 and December 2008, while he was a consultant radiologist and director of the Breast Screening Unit at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

A GMC spokesman said: “It is alleged that Dr Kelly incorrectly interpreted the mammograms of 16 patients, that he failed to perform ultrasound scans on 13 patients and discharged three of these patients.

“It is further alleged that Dr Kelly arranged inadequate follow up for two patients.”

Earlier this year a damning report chronicled blunders made by Dr Kelly.

The independent inquiry into his work at Accrington Victoria Community Hospital found the number of patients affected was 61, going back to the year 2000.