MEDICAL authorities have decided against striking off a North-East GP who faked prescriptions after he became addicted to painkillers.

Dr William Richardson, of East Herrington, Sunderland, appeared before the General Medical Council's (GMC) professional conduct committee in Manchester.

While the GMC found Dr Richardson guilty of serious professional misconduct, it decided to impose conditions on his work for two years rather than removing the Wearside GP from the register. It means Dr Richardson will continue to work in the Sunderland area under strict supervision.

Last May, he was fined £1,400 by Durham Crown Court after admitting 14 charges of obtaining painkilling drug dihydrocodeine by deception.

The GMC found the GP guilty of misconduct in relation to his convictions and after he had prescribed the pain-killing drug Solpadol to a patient, Darren Taylor, despite being aware that he was addicted to the drug.

Dr Richardson was also found guilty of misconduct after he failed to warn Mr Taylor that a liver function test had revealed an abnormality.

The GMC was told that Dr Richardson began to abuse pain-killing drugs after taking up a position as a salaried GP in Pennywell, which led to him working long hours.

The committee noted that Dr Richardson has taken steps to address his addiction since 2001 and is involved in a programme to help him return to general practice. They said they were impressed by his efforts to overcome his problems.

A spokeswoman for Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust said: "The GMC thought it important for Dr Richardson and the public interest that there should be no further delay that would hinder his return to general practice."