A DOCTOR has been struck off the medical register after a tribunal found that a prolific list of errors meant he was unfit to practise medicine.

David Elliott Pelta, 66, was a senior GP at the Queensway Medical Centre, in Southend, but left the practice when NHS England initiated an investigation into several complaints they had received, including one claim that he had misdiagnosed a toddler’s leukaemia.

Sarah Sargent, of Albert Road, Southend, took her two-year-old daughter Lacey to see Dr Pelta when she seemed lethargic and had suspicious bruising.

Mrs Sargent, 33, claimed Dr Pelta only looked at Lacey for 30 seconds before dismissing it as toddler bruising.

When Lacey’s condition worsened, Mrs Sargent took her to another doctor who recommended blood tests which confirmed blood cancer.

At the tribunal, which concluded in October, the panel found that the care he had given Lacey was inadequate.

Dr Wendy Kuriyan, the tribunal chairman, stated that Dr Pelta, who was not present, had failed in numerous ways, most notably to have sufficient regard for the bruising and to order urgent blood tests or follow up with Mrs Sargent.

Mrs Sargent said: “We were told that if the blood test had been left for two more weeks she would have died. I’m happy he’s been struck off because he shouldn’t be allowed to practise if he can’t diagnose serious medical conditions.”

In total, there were 68 allegations against Dr Pelta which ranged from being “dishonest” and “misleading” patients to instructing staff to say patient records had been shredded when in fact they had not.

Dr Alistair Lipp, Medical Director at NHS England Midlands and East (East) said: “We are aware that following a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing, a GP who worked in Southend until 2013 has been removed from the medical register.

“We expect everyone who works for the NHS to be focused on the patients in their care – and we are confident that this is true for the vast majority. On those rare occasions when the behaviour of qualified professionals does not meet the required standards, professional bodies such as the General Medical Council will investigate and, if necessary, remove them from the medical register.”