A family doctor from Nottingham has been banned from treating patients for five months after she fabricated medical appointments so she could finish work in time to collect her children.
The fabricated appointments
Dr Helen Eisenhauer, 43, was working at the Stenhouse Medical Centre in Arnold when she created two fake face-to-face appointments in her diary. The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service heard she did this to ensure she could leave at her normal finishing time of 4.45pm and make it to her children's after-school club by 6pm.
She feared that last-minute consultations booked by colleagues would prevent her from leaving on time. The appointments she invented related to patients she had only spoken to on the telephone earlier that same day.
Discovery and investigation
The deception was uncovered when a partner at the practice spotted anomalies in her booking arrangements and confronted her. Initially, Dr Eisenhauer – who earns an estimated £60,000 a year – denied any wrongdoing.
However, an internal inquiry proved she had not only blocked her diary in the late afternoon but had also falsified entries to suggest the consultations had taken place. Following this, she referred herself to the General Medical Council (GMC) and later admitted to acts of dishonesty.
Struggling to balance responsibilities
At the tribunal, Dr Eisenhauer said she had been under significant strain, suffering from sleep deprivation due to her parenting responsibilities. She explained the incident occurred at a time of particular stress when she was trying to balance her young family with her professional duties.
"I fully accept, however, that this does not excuse my dishonesty," she told the hearing. "I do feel that in the intervening period, I have developed significantly such that I am better able now to balance my obligations at home and at work."
She expressed deep regret for generating the fake appointments, misleading her colleagues, and making an incorrect entry in a patient's medical notes.
Tribunal's ruling and consequences
The tribunal, held in late December 2025, heard that on the day in question, Dr Eisenhauer had chosen to take on extra locum work but had failed to make appropriate childcare arrangements. Representing the GMC, Katie Jones argued the doctor had shown a reckless disregard for patient safety and undermined the trust essential for collaborative working.
Her defence noted she had demonstrated insight and remediation, and that no clinical concerns about her medical ability had been raised. Despite this, tribunal chairman Neil Dalton stated Dr Eisenhauer had betrayed the trust of her colleagues.
Dr Helen Eisenhauer was suspended from medical practice for five months after admitting to the misconduct charges.
