He's not laughing now: Children's doctor found giggling faces being struck off for inhaling anaesthetic

James Tozer
Last updated at 12:29 AM on 15th July 2009

Dr Jonathan Chahal arrives at the hearing where he was found guilty of misconduct

A doctor could be struck off for inhaling laughing gas while on duty in a children's A&E ward.

A General Medical Council disciplinary panel yesterday found Jonathan Chahal guilty of misconduct and said he had potentially put the safety of patients at risk.

The 33-year-old doctor also persuaded nurses to inhale the anaesthetic gas, Entonox, and staged an 'Entonox party', the hearing heard.

Dr Chahal was told his behaviour had been 'unacceptable' and now faces a range of sanctions, including being suspended or struck off the medical register.

He was a senior house officer at Ormskirk District General Hospital in Lancashire when he inhaled the anaesthetic - given in childbirth to alleviate pain - from a canister and was heard giggling in the resuscitation room.

He encouraged colleagues to try the drug, telling them it was 'fun' and 'made you feel floaty'.

Dr Chahal took the drug on four separate occasions in the summer of 2007, the disciplinary panel heard. He even talked seven nurses into joining him and held a party which lasted two hours and had 'elements of pre-planning'.

The Manchester hearing was told that using an intoxicating drug like Entonox while working could put patients at risk, particularly in such a high-pressure unit.

Dr Peter Burdett-Smith, a consultant emergency physician at Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: 'When you are on duty in the emergency department you never know what is going to turn up next.

'You have to be ready to deal with any emergency, especially if you work in a paediatric emergency department where children become very sick very quickly.

'He not only would be seeing patients as soon as they came in, but he would be supervising the other staff as well and giving advice to their management of children and so on.

'I think it is clear that it is not appropriate for any doctor to be taking drugs which can intoxicate or impair your mental functions while on duty.'

Dr Chahal transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool later in 2007, but was sacked after the allegations came to light.

He told the hearing he had been 'incredibly foolish' and was lucky he did not harm any of his patients.

But while Dr Chahal admitted his conduct had been irresponsible and inappropriate, he denied his fitness to practise had been impaired.

He promised never to do it again, and the panel heard evidence from his GP and a psychiatrist who treated him that they believed there would be no repetition.

Chairman Ralph Bergmann told Dr Chahal: 'The panel is of the view that there was a potential danger to patients under your care, that such behaviour cannot be tolerated and that it must send a message to the profession and to the public that your actions were wholly unacceptable.'

Allegations that Dr Chahal took cocaine and made misleading and dishonest statements in health assessments were dropped.