Family doctor suspended three months for ghosting patients and college investigators

A Toronto-area family physician is facing a three-month suspension and a $6,000 costs penalty after failing to respond to multiple requests to complete paperwork and being uncooperative with the college’s investigation.In a decision released April 29, 2026, the Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal concluded that Dr. Pauline Lois Fenty’s failure to appropriately respond to her patients and the college constituted “disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional” conduct.The case came before the tribunal after the college received complaints from two patients. The first patient had complained to the college that Dr. Fenty had failed to complete her insurance forms, despite repeated requests over the course of six months. The second patient also complained to the college after Dr. Fenty failed to respond to multiple requests “over a lengthy period” for medical records from the patient’s lawyer. In both of these cases, Dr. Fenty only completed the insurance forms and handed over the medical records after the college notified her of the complaints. However, even during the college’s investigation, Dr. Fenty failed to respond to the “numerous letters, emails, voicemails and calls from the College, including requests for the patients’ medical records and the registrant’s responses to the complaints.”The college’s Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee had been prepared to accept an undertaking from Dr. Fenty as well as a caution in person to resolve the investigations. However, Dr. Fenty didn’t respond to the college investigator’s repeated attempts to get her response to the proposed resolution, and the matter was subsequently referred to the tribunal.“The registrant’s failure to cooperate with the College’s investigation also amounts to a serious disregard for her professional obligations. Members of the profession are required to cooperate with the College in its investigations and to respond appropriately and within a reasonable time to its written inquiries. This is part of the responsibility of practising a regulated profession,” the tribunal said.The tribunal also noted that Dr. Fenty has already been the subject of two previous patient complaints about delays in providing medical records. After the second of these complaints, Dr. Fenty signed an undertaking with the college that included professional education in medical records management, three months of clinical supervision, and a requirement that she keep a log of all third-party requests received.“The fact that the registrant comes before this Tribunal with similar allegations against her increases the seriousness of the misconduct in that it demonstrates that she is aware of her professional obligations and still fell short in her adherence to them,” the tribunal wrote.In addition to the three-month suspension, the tribunal ordered that Dr. Fenty be required to maintain a log of all requests for third-party reports and medical records, which must be submitted to the college at any time upon request. Dr. Fenty will also need to complete a professional education course and undergo a reassessment of her practice by a college-appointed assessor. In addition, Dr. Fenty will be required to inform the college of every single location where she practices and submit to unannounced inspections of her practice locations by the college.

Family doctor suspended three months for ghosting patients and college investigators

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