A PARK North doctor failed to send seriously ill patients to hospital for urgent treatment because she was suffering from her own health problems, a hearing has heard.

Linda Jacobs also tampered with the medical notes of two patients to cover up her blunder after complaints began to flood into Kingswood Surgery.

The scandal led to an inquiry by Swindon Primary Care Trust into the care of 10,000 patients on her list, the General Medical Council heard.

Dr Jacobs has appeared before the GMC to admit failing to refer 12 patients to hospital.

She claims she was suffering from mental and physical health problems but the evidence about her diagnosed condition will be heard in private.

Dr Jacobs was a partner at the Kingswood Avenue surgery when the incidents happened between 2003 and 2005. She failed to refer 12 patients to hospital despite writing in their notes that they needed expert care.

The patients included three with blood in the urine, a common sign of kidney damage; two patients with cancer; one with stroke symptoms; two in need of orthopaedic treatment; and one in need of a chest X-ray.

Marios Lambis for the GMC told the hearing how the other doctors at the practice became concerned in May 2005.

"A number of partners at the practice noticed Dr Jacobs seemed to be having problems with written referrals," said Mr Lambis. "They would be delayed or not referred at all," he said.

"It reached a point where patients were calling up the surgery and expressing concerns."

The partners met together and decided all patients should be referred to the Great Western Hospital within 24 hours for urgent cases, and 72 hours for routine referrals.

But a month later a colleague overheard Dr Jacobs on the phone to a hospital consultant about a missed referral.

A colleague also told the hearing Dr Jacobs had altered a patient's notes.

The doctors felt there had been a breach of trust' over the computer entries, and Swindon PCT advised them that they would need to write to all 10,000 patients on their list to check for any other un-actioned referrals.

Dr Jacobs was sacked from her job at the end of November.

The GMC launched action against her for failure to refer patients, failing to record medication given to a patient and a home visit, and the altering of two patients' notes to erase her intention to refer them.

Her behaviour is said to be "inadequate, inapp-ropriate, dishonest, not in the best interests of patients, and below the standard expected".

She has been diagnosed with a condition which affects her physical and mental health, the hearing was told. She admits her fitness to practise is impaired by reason of her deficient professional performance, misconduct and her poor health.

The panel will now decide whether she is unfit to practise and if so whether to ban her from the profession.

The hearing continues.