A tribunal has begun into the case of a Christian doctor who was placed under disciplinary measures for offering to pray with his patients.

In 2019, the General Medical Council (GMC) launched an investigation against Dr Richard Scott after the National Secular Society (NSS) raised concerns about him.

It argued that a “highly vulnerable” anonymous patient felt “discomfort at the use of prayer” by Dr Scott during a consultation at Bethesda Medical Centre in Margate, Kent.

The GMC ruled that no guidelines were breached and that “discussion of faith in consultations is not prohibited”.

However, the NHS England sustained a separate inquiry and ordered Dr Scott to attend a £1800 “professional boundaries” course designed for medical professionals who face sexual allegations. He was asked to pay for it himself.

Dr Scott refused to undergo the three-day course arguing NHS bosses were trying to “humiliate” him.

Now, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dr Scott has started to make his case at a tribunal hearing in Kent.