Dr Lisa Baynes admits to working after not renewing her registration

A doctor has admitted to continuing to work in two major hospitals in Sydney’s north after she wilfully did not renew her medical practitioner registration, a court has heard.

Lisa Baynes worked as a doctor at Royal North Shore Hospital and Northern Beaches Hospital while unregistered. Picture: Thomas James Parrish

A doctor has admitted to continuing to work in two major hospitals in Sydney’s north after not renewing her medical practitioner registration, a court has heard.

Lisa Baynes, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of not registering as a health practitioner and claimed to be registered when she appeared in Downing Centre Local Court last week.

Agreed facts tendered to court said Baynes, who lives in Turramurra, graduated from a medical school in South Africa in 2015 before she immigrated to Australia in 2019.

Baynes was an international medical graduate who was granted limited registration for postgraduate training or supervised practise as a medical practitioner from May 11, 2020 which expired on June 10, 2021.

Baynes admitted she practised as a senior resident medical officer at Royal North Shore Hospital for 33 days while she was unregistered despite her employment contract – which she signed – clearly stating she needed to maintain Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration.

Royal North Shore Hospital

She began working in that role from May 18 and AHPRA reminded her, via email and post, to renew her registration but she failed to do so.

On June 18, 2021, APHRA sent an email to Baynes advising that she was unregistered and electronic records indicated the email was opened four times.

A hospital staff member identified Baynes was not registered and contacted her before sending a follow up email the next day asking for Baynes to confirm she contacted AHPRA to confirm her registration was renewed.

Baynes was stood down when the hospital was notified she was still not registered on July 13, telling staff she did not know why she did not renew it.

She did not treat patients from July 13 to August 10, when her registration was renewed.

On November 3, 2021, Baynes submitted a performance report – which was a condition of her limited registration – to AHPRA about the details of her work undertaken at Greenwich and North Shore Private Hospital from May 11 to November 3.

Lisa Baynes at Downing Centre. Picture: Thomas James Parrish

APHRA sought further clarification and in an email response Baynes said, “I fell off the register on June 11, 2021, after which I was not at work. As such, I did not spend any time working or undertaking practice during the period of time before my re-entry was finalised”.

This was false because she continued to work until July 13 while unregistered.

Baynes applied for a basic physician trainee position with Northern Sydney Local Health District where she stated she had “currently applied” for registration without limitation but that was false.

Baynes came under the notice of APHRA again when she worked for 131 days from September 10, 2022 to January 18, 2023 as a resident medical practitioner at Northern Beaches Hospital while unregistered.

APHRA sent Baynes an email to remind her to renew her registration on August 18, 2022 but by September 5 she had not lodged an application.

An APHRA employed called and emailed Baynes which requested she submit the application by September 8 to avoid coming of the register.

Northern Beaches Hospital

Baynes was emailed again but for the second time she became unregistered from September 10 and she was advised of this six days later via email, which she opened six times.

On January 18, 2022, Northern Beaches Hospital was altered Baynes was not registered and she was stood down.

Baynes had continued to work up until that date despite knowing she was not registered.

Baynes lodged a registration application on February 7 which said she worked unregistered as a medical practitioner for eight weeks in the cardiology unit and then a further 10 weeks in the neurology unit.

APHRA granted her registration for another 12 months on August 2023 and she did a voluntary interview with APHRA on August 13 where she was told she could face criminal penalties.

Baynes said she understood she needed to be registered at all times, but claimed she didn’t “fully understand” her registration would lapse in May 2021.

She also claimed she did not recall receiving correspondence from APHRA prior to July 13, 2021 and said she believed the email she sent back to APHRA was true and was mistaken about the dates.

After the interview, Baynes sent a letter to APHRA where she accepted full responsibility for both periods of practising while unregistered.

She explained her circumstances with her immigration, difficulties she faced with the Australian Medical Council examination process and her struggles with anxiety.

Baynes will be sentenced on March 5.