A DOCTOR who worked back-to-back super shifts of 24 hours to pay for home improvements has been suspended for four months.

Dr Bevan Hyder, 47, worked for 24 hours without a break on five occasions, including shifts at Basildon Hospital, where he would leave his first shift early without permission.

Hyder, an emergency medicine consultant, qualified as a doctor in Grenada in the Caribbean before moving to the UK in 2004, and worked for Sussex NHS Trust in Crawley from October 2013 to October 2015.

In August 2014, he was put on a full time contract requiring him to work three 12-hour shifts a week at the urgent treatment centre and A&E.

During this time he also worked shifts through a locum agency at Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust in London and Basildon Hospital.

But the tribunal, which took place in Manchester, in front of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, heard Dr Hyder would not complete a whole shift and leave more than an hour early in order to commute to other hospitals.

It was found he would log into the systems at Basildon and Sussex Hospitals up to 44 minutes after the shift start time, and on one occasion left his post in Crawley one hour and 42 minutes early.

In his statement to the tribunal, Dr Hyder, a dad-of-four, said the reason for doing the super shifts was that “his family was growing and we needed extra space” and wanted more cash available to help them, so they “would be proud of me as any father should”.

He also insisted he posed no risk of harm to patients by not taking breaks, as he went to “considerable lengths” to improve his fitness so he would not get tired.

Catherine Cundy, barrister for the GMC, told the tribunal that Hyder’s actions were “dishonest” and brought the profession “into disrepute” and had gone against the obligations of his contract at Crawley to “put his own needs above those of patients”.

She added: “Even though there was no evidence of actual harm being caused to patients by Dr Hyder’s actions, they presented an unwarranted risk to the safety of patients at Crawley.”

Hyder will be allowed to return after his suspension.

Basildon Hospital were contacted but did not wish to comment.