City GP denies female patients' claims

Dr Rodney Tate, 65, will not be allowed to return to work for 18 months as health authorities and police carry out independent inquiries.

His wife, Rowena, said: "The allegations are complete lies."

Dr Tate has been suspended on full pay by the General Medical Council (GMC).

It has imposed an interim order barring him from practice for 18 months while it investigates the claims with help from Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust.

Dr Tate, of Dyke Road Avenue, Brighton, has left the practice he shared with other doctors in the Old Steine, Brighton.

He insists he is innocent. His wife told The Argus the complaints were malicious and unfounded.

She said: "He strenuously denies doing anything wrong.

"It's horrendous, when you've worked hard all your life, to have patients ruin things like this.

"It's terrible, at the end of your career, to be treated like this.

"He can't even remember seeing either of them as his patients.

"He always examined patients in the way he was taught, being of the old school. Nowadays things seem to have changed.

"You can accuse someone of anything these days.

"He has to clear his name, though I don't know how exactly you prove anything."

She said the accusations had come "out of the blue".

She added: "No one knows what it's like. It has been so traumatic."

A GMC spokeswoman said: "Dr Tate has been suspended by us for 18 months, the usual period of time we can suspend a doctor for under our interim orders."

It had been decided Dr Tate "shouldn't be in practice for the time being".

She said: "We can hold a hearing at any time, though we can also extend the order if our investigations need more time."

She declined to reveal the nature of the complaints.

Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust said it had suspended Dr Tate on full pay, pending further investigations.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the man and there are a number of investigations ongoing. There have been no charges."