A German doctor working his first shift in Britain accidentally killed a patient with an overdose of painkillers while providing out-of-hours cover for GPs.

An inquiry is to be launched by the NHS watchdog into the provision of out-of-hours care after the death in February 2008 of 70-year-old David Gray, who was given 10 times the maximum dose of a painkilling drug by German doctor Daniel Ubani.

Dr Ubani had arrived in Britain only the day before, to work for a Cambridgeshire health trust. He said he was “too tired” to concentrate when giving Mr Gray the drug, after having only three hours rest before starting his shift.

A spokesperson for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said: “The CQC is to announce it will inquire into Take Care Now and its provsion of out-of-hours services commissioned by the NHS, including the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Gray.”

Christine Braithwaite, head of investigation and enforcement at the watchdog, said: “This is a deeply disturbing case and one that must be thoroughly looked into. We have to ensure any lessons are learned.”

Last month, Dr Ubani was given a nine-month suspended sentence in Germany for the incident, and was fined EURO5,000 (£4,450) for causing death by negligence.

Dr Ubani had sent a letter of apology to Mr Gray’s family, and explained that he had been confused by a drug that was not used by out-of-hours services in Germany.

Though the details of the incident have only just been made public, Cambridgeshire Police launched an investigation and the Crown Prosecution Service has requested assistance in obtaining evidence from the relevant German bodies.

Dr Ubani has been suspended by the General Medical Council from working in Britain, but he is still practising medicine in Germany.

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