A RADIOGRAPHER has been accused of tampering with an x-ray to cover up a mistake which resulted in a young girl being sent home from hospital with a needle lodged in her foot.

Akbar Solaymani carried out an x-ray on the young girl at Rochdale Infirmary on September 5, 2006, a hearing of the Health Professions Council (HPC) was told.

But the HPC heard how Mr Solymani, described as an experienced radiographer, mistook the needle for an unbent paper clip - commonly used to mark the entry point of foreign bodies on x-rays.

 It is claimed he then cropped the needle out of the x-ray and scanned the girl's other, uninjured non-affected right foot so a doctor wouldn't request an operation for the child.

 Dr James Higgins, Senior House Officer at Rochdale Infirmary, said: "The young girl came into the Accident and Emergency department. Her parents were concerned she had stood on a needle or glass in the kitchen.

"When I realised there was an abnormality with the x-ray I phoned Mr Solaymani to determine what marker he had used. He said the metallic object was his marker and said he hadn't cropped the image."

Alan Williams, who has reviewed the x-rays, said: "You can see at the very, very edge of the left foot scan there is a metallic object. The tip is only just visible so I looked more closely and realised part had been removed after the image was taken.

"The metallic pin couldn't have been a marker - the paper clip markers we use are a different shape and length. It was obvious the pin was in the patient and not under the foot."

The Manchester hearing was told Mr Solaymani, who faces allegations of misconduct and lack of competence, was already on restricted duties at the time relating to another case that has not been revealed.

The HPC was also told that in the previous month to the alleged incident Mr Solaymani,handled a patient roughly and positioned him on an x-ray table so the wrong hip would be scanned causing him great discomfort.

It was stated on the x-ray request card which hip needed to be scanned and Mr Solaymani mysteriously left the room after asking for help from other members of staff who then noticed the mistake.

Mr Solaymani was dismissed from Rochdale Infirmary in December 2006 for gross negligence, A Pennine Acute Trust spokesman said: "The member of staff was a radiographer at Rochdale Infirmary but was dismissed in December 2006 because of gross negligence. He was then reported to the HPC."

Mr Solaymani, who did not attend the HPC hearing, has denied cropping the x-ray to cover mistakes, saying he 'wanted to make the best of a bad situation,' but has offered no other explanation. A decision is due from the HPC later today (weds). end