A DOCTOR from Todmorden who behaved inappropriately with a vulnerable female patient, and later encouraged her to share business premises with his wife, has been struck off.

Dr Michael Ross is said to have repeatedly called the patient, after she left his Todmorden Group practice, and instructed her not to mention her mental health problems to his wife, when they shared a shop in Haworth.

Before she left his list, he was found to have sat with the patient's knees between his own, and put his hand on her knees, a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service hearing was told.

But a misconduct committee ruled that the doctor's behaviour at the Halifax Road practice was not sexually motivated.

However a three-strong panel has decided that Dr Ross general behaviour was not conducive with him remaining on the medical register after they heard he also failed to provide good medical care for a number of patients.

Panel chairman Karen Heenan said: "The tribunal considered that Dr Ross' inflexible approach to the matters alleged against him were indicative of a deep-seated attitudinal problem.

"Dr Ross appeared unable to understand his wrong doing in his business involvement with Patient A or his clinical management of a vulnerable patient group and reflect upon it, maintaining at all times that his own position had been the right one."