Struck off GP who had sex with six women at surgery 'now a therapist'

A GP dubbed the 'dirty doctor' after having sex with multiple women in his consulting room and was struck off has reportedly become a therapist under a different name.

He is just one case of a doctor who has been struck off by the GMC but is still able to practise as a therapist, taking advantage of a loophole in the law, the i reports.

Dr Thomas Plimmer, 40, who was educated at the University of Cambridge and appeared on Channel 4's show First Dates in 2018, was removed by the General Medical Council (GMC) earlier this year.

The GP from Swindon, Essex, had sex with six different women in his consulting room and was also caught performing a sex act on himself at the practice.

He is now understood to be practicing as a psychotherapist under his middle name, Matthew. 

Plimmer claimed at a misconduct hearing in April that although he had ruined lives by 'lying and cheating', he was now a reformed man, having turned to God. 

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Doctor, 40, who had sex with six women at his surgery is struck off the medical register for life despite saying he was reformed and had turned to God

But he was struck off nonetheless after it was heard he had had sex with six different women - who were not his patients - while members of the public were waiting outside to see him.

He showed a junior female colleague an unsolicited video of him and one of the women having sex, and put her hand on his penis through his clothing.

Plimmer also sent a colleague almost 200 sexual images and told another she should kill herself. He claimed during the hearing that he was an untreated sex addict.

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) concluded that Dr Plimmer's 'pattern of sexually motivated behaviour' was 'deplorable' and 'brings the medical profession into disrepute'. 

Since being struck off, Plimmer has reinvented himself as a psychotherapist under the name Dr Thomas Matthew., making no reference to him being struck off the medical register.

His website describes his business - 'Mind, Body and Emotional Wellness' - with blog posts dating back to August 2022. Plimmer is offering sessions for £85 each.

He says online: 'I qualified as a medical doctor in 2007, working in various areas of medicine and then became a GP in 2012, a role I worked in for over a decade. I am now dedicated to helping people through MBE Wellness, full time, no longer working as a registered doctor.

'During my medical career I met thousands of patients struggling with daily existence, who felt unfulfilled, who kept on making the same 'mistakes' and felt helpless. Myself included, as someone who is in recovery from addiction.

'Having witnessed this for years I decided there has got to be more to life than just survival. So, I chose to devote my time to studying and practicing a holistic mind, body and emotional approach.'

The therapy industry is not as tightly regulated as the medicinal industry, meaning that while therapists can be struck off from registers such as the BACP, there is no law to prevent them from continuing to practise, or to prevent struck-off medics from becoming therapists.

While many sign up to voluntary regulation through the Professional Standards Authority (PSA), therapists do not need to be a member of any organisation.

In an investigation, the i revealed other therapists still practicing include a man who had sexual relations with two vulnerable clients and gave them drugs, even turning up to sessions intoxicated.

Therapist and campaigner Amanda Williamson said the findings demonstrated 'a clear problem of the disparity between mental and physical health'.

'If a doctor who has had their medical licence removed, why is it OK for them to treat people for their mental health?

'This is why we need the state to regulate psychotherapy and counselling, so that there are rules governing everyone who works as a therapist – and anyone who has been struck off cannot continue treating psychotherapy clients, whether they were struck off as a doctor or as a therapist.'

Dr Plimmer told the i he takes patient safety 'very seriously' and that none of the allegations against him as a doctor related to his own patients.

He added he has completed a 'maintaining professional boundaries course' and the misconduct panel found his 'risk to patients was low'. 

The misconduct panel concluded Dr Plimmer was guilty of seven complaints he had denied, but several others were found not proven.