Enchance Clinic: Why Les Blackstock was stripped of medical license
A disgraced surgeon, who operated a clinic in Sydney’s west, has been stripped of his medical licence after he was involved in a number of shocking and extremely dangerous practices inserting breast implants.
Penrith
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A disgraced former surgeon who operated a clinic in Emu Plains has had his medical licence cancelled after being found guilty of “unsatisfactory professional conduct”.
Dr Leslie Blackstock, who worked at the Enhance Clinic in Emu Plains, first had his licence suspended in 2017 after it was revealed he put patients at risk with his bizarre conduct.
Allegations against Blackstock included failing to obtain proper informed consent from patients, failing to provide post-operative care to patients, and inviting patient’s friends and family into the operating room to get their opinions on breast implants.
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard from the Health Care Complaints Commission on Wednesday that Blackstock had invited the mother and friends of a 30-year-old patient into the operating room to ask for their opinion on her breast implants in 2012.
The commission said Blackstock overfilled the implants of another patient, causing “rippling” and the patient’s nipples being in “an odd position”.
Another patient was allowed to fly from Sydney to Melbourne less than three days after her surgery without any physical examination to ascertain her physical condition.
The Tribunal heard another patient was put at risk of a vasovagal episode when Blackstock showed her a chunk of flesh cut from her vagina and remarked “oh, that’s a lot”.
Another patient was given incorrect anaesthesia by Blackstock when Midazolam and fentanyl were administered an hour before surgery despite the two drugs having a half-life of less than 15 minutes in the bloodstream.
The most serious allegations occurred against a ‘Patient J’ who was forced to have one of her implants removed due to infections.
The Tribunal heard ‘Patient J’ had her first surgery with Blackstock in 2014 and reported pain in her left breast shortly afterwards.
Her implants were replaced by Blackstock in 2017, where he noted the implants had suffered “massive breakdowns” and silicon with leaking from them.
A wound on her breast reopened twice in the next two months, and a further planned procedure was forced to be postponed due to an infection.
The Tribunal also found Blackstock had performed surgeries in his clinic while it was unlicensed.
Blackstock is unable to review the decision for at least seven years.
In a statement, the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons advised people to look for the ‘FRACS’ title after a surgeon’s name when looking for a plastic surgeon.
“This ensures they’ve had the highest level of specialist surgical training recognized by Australian medical regulators,” a spokeswoman said.
Dr Dan Kennedy, president of the society, said it was effectively a “stamp of excellence” that minimizes any risks.
The spokeswoman said consumers could check their surgeon’s qualifications via the AHPRA or ASPS websites.