Doctor admits inappropriately messaging teenage patient he met at a children’s hospital

A doctor has admitted to inappropriately messaging a vulnerable teen who he met in a hospital, and later went on to have a sexual relationship with.

Dr Cian Hughes, who lists himself as research scientist at Google on LinkedIn, began privately messaging the 13-year-old while she was a patient at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Dr Hughes, who was a 23-year-old medical student at the time, had been present during surgery on the young patient and later approached her about a research project, a tribunal heard.

Dr Hughes used his private email address to email the girl copies of her X-rays, and this began a chain of communication that ultimately led to a sexual relationship between them when the girl was 17, the tribunal heard.

The General Medical Council (GMC) brought a case against the doctor saying that he used his professional position to pursue an inappropriate relationship with the vulnerable patient. 

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Source: The Independent, 16 January 2025