Disgraced British doctor Richard Seamark lands a top job in Australia, despite his company locking a patient in a room for WEEKS

EXCLUSIVE

A British doctor who locked a patient in his hospital room for several weeks and banned him from running a company in the UK has landed a top job in northern New South Wales.

The “horrible” story of Dr Richard Seamark became public in 2017 after he was a favourite for a senior $400,000 position as Clinical Director of Mental Health at Cairns Hospital in far north Queensland.

However, the disgraced psychiatrist, 64, was quickly excluded from the recruitment process when it emerged he had been banned from acting as a company director in the UK.

The ban came after his British company Care+ Ltd failed to report serious incidents and used outdated medical equipment.

There were multiple complaints about the quality of care provided while he ran the company, including medication errors and locking a patient in his room for several weeks.

The UK government’s Insolvency Service branded him an “unreliable psychiatrist” after banning him from working for endangering patient safety and describing his behaviour as “appalling”.

Robert Clarke, head of Insolvency Investigations North, added at the time: ‘Dr Seamark’s failure to adequately safeguard patient welfare and safety presented a significant risk to vulnerable patients, staff and the public.

‘His disqualification sends a clear message that such egregious behavior will not be tolerated in the context of the broader corporate regime.’

Despite the damning report, Seamark has now secured a position as Clinical Director of the Richmond Clarence Mental Health Service in Lismore.

In a video released by the Northern NSW Local Health District 12 months ago, he praised his new hometown and the team at his new workplace.

“It’s a beautiful place to work,” he said.

‘Physically alone, the climate is extraordinary and offers you a huge variety of different lifestyle opportunities.

‘Within the work environment we have a really great group of people to work with and you can enjoy the day-to-day experience.’

In its report on the defunct company, the government agency revealed that a patient had been locked in his hospital room for several weeks. It described the incident as a “violation of the patient’s human rights.”

The hospital also failed to report any serious incidents, such as medication errors, and kept defibrillator pads that had expired more than seven years ago.

The damning investigation found one of the hospitals was “inadequate in all areas inspected” and published a scathing critique of Dr Seamark’s leadership.

Seamark was rejected from a post at Cairns Hospital in 2017 after recruiters learned details of his UK company’s insolvency.

“Insolvency proceedings had not borne fruit,” Health Minister Steven Miles, now Queensland Premier, said at the time.

“When they did, he revealed it and at that point the process was suspended. Let’s not get too carried away by what happened.”

Seamark is understood to have moved to Queensland in 2015 after being disqualified from being a director of his UK company, which later went into voluntary liquidation.

Before applying for the Cairns post, she had been practising at Sunshine Coast Hospital for 18 months despite an 18-month ban in the UK for “endangering patient safety”.

NSW Health insisted it had followed standard practice in recruiting Seamark for its latest role in Lismore.

“Recruitment for vacant positions within the Northern NSW Local Health District is conducted in accordance with NSW health policies,” a spokesperson said.

‘This includes a mandatory pre-employment assessment and, for clinical roles, confirmation of registration with the relevant medical agency or board.’