Dr Peter Mayne – Unsatisfactory professional conduct

12 May 2017

The Health Care Complaints Commission prosecuted a complaint against Dr Peter Mayne before a Medical Professional Standards Committee.  The Commission alleged that Dr Mayne’s treatment of a patient in 2012 and early 2013 amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct in that Dr Mayne, who was working as a general practitioner in the Laurieton area of NSW at the relevant time:

• Inappropriately diagnosed the patient with Lyme disease;
• Inappropriately commenced the patient on intramuscular antibiotic injections for Lyme disease;
• Inappropriately treated the patient with weekly and then biweekly antibiotic injections for Lyme disease over approximately 30 weeks but failed to investigate or consider the patient might have cancer due to his age and medical history;
• Failed to obtain informed consent from the patient for the experimental, novel or unproven antibiotic therapy from  March 2012 to January 2013;
• Maintained poor records for the patient and in doing so contravened the regulations governing medical record keeping for medical practitioners.

The patient did not have Lyme disease and Dr Mayne continued to maintain at the hearing that he did.  Dr Mayne disputed most of the allegations but made some admissions which he sought to justify.

Decision

On 1 May 2017, the Professional Standards Committee found all allegations against Dr Mayne proved and that the conduct amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct.  The Committee reprimanded Dr Mayne.  As Dr Mayne is not currently a registered medical practitioner, the Committee ordered that should he return to the register, he must:

• Practice in an accredited group general practice;
• Not to advice, diagnose or treat patients who he believes to have or may have Lyme disease or similar tick-borne disease;
• Practice under supervision;
• Undergo an audit of his medical practice;
• Complete courses in prescribing medications and record keeping.

Further Information

The full decision is available here.

For further information, contact the Executive Officer of the Health Care Complaints Commission, on 9219 7444 or send an email to media@hccc.nsw.gov.au.

The information in this media release is correct at the time of publication. Orders may change; for example, conditions may no longer apply. For current information regarding the status of a registered health practitioner, including any conditions that currently apply, please check the National Register at www.ahpra.gov.au.