Radiographer struck off after cover up

A radiographer at Rochdale Infirmary has been removed from the medical register after he doctored an X-ray of a child's foot which had a needle stuck in it.

Akbar Solaymani cropped the x-ray to remove the needle.

The chairwoman of the Health Professionals Council, Elizabeth Metcalfe, said: "Mr Solaymani deliberately acted in a way that he knew at the time conflicted with his responsibilities as a health professional. It therefore demonstrates misconduct. His behaviour was clearly not in the best interests of his patient."

The mother of the child had taken her to the Infirmary, suspected that she may have stepped on the needle at home. Mr Solaymani x-rayed her left foot in September 2006. He took an image of the child's right foot and filed it with the images of the left foot without telling anyone.

He told the A&E clinician who requested the x-rays that the object in the image was a paper-clip that he had used as a marker.

The child was discharged with the pin still in her foot.