Dr James Halcrow, 34, had been warned not to drink due to 'issues' he had flagged with the General Medical Council but still drank socially and hanged himself because he was worried he might fail a test
A newly-qualified doctor who was voted 'Trainee GP of the Year' hanged himself after worrying that he had failed an alcohol test at work, an inquest heard.
Dr James Halcrow, 34, had been warned not to drink due to 'issues' he had flagged with the General Medical Council (GMC) but still drank socially and was worried he might fail an alcohol test imposed on him.
He took his own life on June 24 just days before the results were revealed to the GMC, which only showed a 'possibility' of alcohol consumption in his blood.
His body was found by friends in his apartment in Manchester's trendy Northern Quarter alongside a note which said: 'I'm sorry.'
An inquest into his death heard how Dr Halcrow - who was described as a 'remarkable young man' - had thrown himself into studying in his 20s after spending two years in Australia as a scuba diving instructor and cruise ship worker.
He was accepted into medical school and qualified as a trainee GP in 2013.
However, while he was still a junior doctor, he referred himself to the GMC for 'other issues he was having', which resulted in restrictions on his practice including a ban on the consumption of alcohol.
The 'adventurous and outgoing' medic was deeply affected by the restrictions as the ban curbed his normally active social life, the inquest heard.
Hopeful of getting the restrictions lifted, he attended two interviews with the GMC which went well, but on a third and final interview he said he would drink socially once the restriction was lifted.
He believed one interviewer had taken a 'dim view' of this and he feared the restrictions wouldn't be lifted.
Dr Halcrow, who had gone out with friends and drunk 'one or two drinks' during the period of restriction, also knew he may fail an alcohol test because of his social drinking.
Giving evidence at the inquest in Manchester on Friday, his father Ian Halcrow, 58, of Corby, Northamptonshire, said: 'He had an amazing number of friends. He thrived on friendship and had a very close family as well.
While he was a junior doctor, he referred himself to the GMC which resulted in restrictions on his practice including an alcohol ban. However, the 'Trainee GP of the Year' still drank socially and killed himself on June 24
Shortly before his death, Dr Halcrow told his friend Paul Fleetwood, who owned the flat in Manchester where they lived, that he was worried about the GMC restrictions not being lifted.
He said that in his third interview a psychiatrist had taken a 'very dim view' of his admission that he would drink socially if they were lifted.
Another friend, Martin Kavanagh, told the hearing: 'I knew he had drunk once or twice and had one or two drinks.
'I knew he was upset. He was very social, he used to socialise with different people, and the restrictions were very difficult and had become draining for a lot of his social life.
'He did still have friends that socialised but he had been a lot less social so if the restrictions weren't lifted it was testing because he had a lack of social contact for so long.
'Around six months before he died he told me he thought he had once felt suicidal regarding his restrictions when things were initially happening but he got through that.
'He also told me he only bought a new car he bought to cheer himself up.'
A GMC progress report read to the inquest gave the results of a hair sample taken from Dr Halcrow which confirmed there were no drugs in his system but he 'may have consumed alcohol'.
However, Dr Halcrow died before the results were disclosed to him.
One of Dr Halcrow's friends, Martin Kavanagh, told the inquest in Manchester that the doctor had revealed he had previously felt suicidal and that he bought a new car to 'cheer himself up'. He is pictured above with the car
The 'adventurous and outgoing' medic was deeply affected by the restrictions imposed by the General Medical Council as the ban curbed his normally active social life. The coroner returned a suicide verdict at the inquest
Daily Mail
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