A NURSE accused of pretending he was a top surgeon is still being allowed to practice.

Kevin O’Flanagan is accused of pretending to be an orthopaedic surgeon for eight years and even put the job title on his wedding certificate.

Mr O’Flanagan, who worked as a scrubs nurse at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, was due to appear before the Nursing and Midwifery Council in August to answer 12 charges.

He is accused of keeping up the lie from 2006 and March 2014, according to the council.

But the hearing has still not happened more than six months later, meaning he is still technically allowed to practice.

O’Flanagan, 53, who previously lived in Colchester, is alleged to have tried to keep up the pretence by writing a letter to himself purporting to be from a colleague.

It offered him a fellowship in Cranio-Facial Maxillary Reconstruction Surgery with a special interest in general orthopaedic trauma in 2013.

Instead, it is alleged he made up the offer in order to make others believe he had been offered the position.

O’Flanagan is also accused of lying on the networking site LinkedIn by claiming he was a clinical lead of head and neck surgery between April 2012 and April 2014.

That breaches the medical council’s rules by misleading people.

He has also been charged with claiming and being paid for 42 hospital shifts he never worked.

An NMC spokesman said the case was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances and added: “This meant the hearing couldn’t proceed on the date.”