Unregistered Harley Street plastic surgeon pretended to be patient during inspection

A plastic surgeon has been suspended after performing liposuction at a private Harley Street clinic without proper registration and lying to inspectors from the health watchdog.

Dr Sayed Mia carried out gynaecomastia procedures – male breast reduction – without the necessary registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), a tribunal heard.

During an inspection by the CQC, it was alleged that Dr Mia claimed he was a patient and gave a fake name and contact details.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has suspended him for 12 months.

The tribunal heard that on November 14 2023, Dr Mia, who qualified in South Africa in 1999, was in consultation with a patient at the central London clinic when four CQC inspectors arrived and introduced themselves.

A short while later, Dr Mia was observed heading to the lifts with a suitcase.

The tribunal heard an inspector “intercepted” Dr Mia, telling him the reason for the visit was “to establish if regulated activities were taking place at the clinic”, after receiving complaints from members of the public.

When asked for his name, Dr Mia told the inspector it was “Ahmed Munda”.

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Dr Mia was said to be pressing the lift buttons “numerous times” and “appeared nervous and eager to leave” during the conversation.

He told the inspector he was having a meeting about a procedure and claimed he was a patient.

The tribunal was told a young man waiting outside the consultation room interrupted and said: “He’s not a patient, he’s a doctor I’ve come to see.”

The inspector then asked Dr Mia again if he was a doctor. He replied: “I am a doctor, but a scientist, not a medical doctor,” and claimed he had only worked at the clinic on that one day.

Following the visit, investigators identified Dr Mia from open-source research and made contact with him. They said Dr Mia appeared to be “quite shocked” that it was a CQC inspector.

The tribunal was told Dr Mia then apologised for giving a fake name, saying he thought the investigators were from his ex-employer and had come to intimidate him.

Dr Mia told the investigator he “wanted to clear his name” but later cancelled a meeting to provide a witness statement.

Two months later, Dr Mia wrote to the inspector saying he had reflected and now wanted to provide a statement, which he later did.

Dr Mia later admitted to the General Medical Council (GMC) that he performed the surgeries and that the information he provided to the inspectors was untrue.

The tribunal said it “understood” Dr Mia was in fear and panic at the time because he claimed his former employee had made threats “that they knew people at the CQC, GMC and Home Office”.

However, the tribunal said his failure to tell the truth “was not driven by any fear or intimidation by a previous employer but to ensure he was not implicated in a CQC investigation”.

The tribunal found Dr Mia “had failed to act honestly and with integrity and showed a deliberate disregard for professional standards”.

It stopped short of striking him off the medical register, however, adding: “The tribunal… concluded that a period of 12 months suspension, at the upper end of the suspension banding, was the most proportionate sanction.

“This length properly reflects the seriousness of the misconduct, the high level of risk identified, and the need to maintain public confidence, while recognising the limited but genuine steps taken by Dr Mia towards insight and remediation.”