Plastic surgeon Henk Giele must stick to a number of strict conditions when he returns to work at Oxford hospitals.

Mr Giele, 40, was struck off a year ago over his relationship with a married woman who was admitted to hospital suffering from a flesh-eating bug.

Patients helped him overturn the decision to strike him off, and the sentence was reduced to a 12-month suspension following an appeal at the High Court.

As reported in Saturday's Oxford Mail, the General Medical Council reviewed his case on Friday and ruled that it would not be appropriate to extend the suspension. He is expected to return to work at the Radcliffe Infirmary and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre on April 24.

But the GMC panel added that Mr Giele's registration would be subject to conditions over the next 12 months.

The GMC's Fitness to Practice panel agreed that Mr Giele should: Only conduct out-patient consultations with female patients when a chaperone is present Not carry out operative procedures unless a consultant colleague is present for the first four months of his return to operating Undertake training in medical ethics Notify the GMC of any post he accepts and allow the GMC to exchange information with his employer.

Last August, during the High Court appeal against the GMC's decision that Mr Giele should be struck off, Mr Justice Collins heard testimonials from patients.

Claire Binns, of Hill Close, Chipping Norton, led the patient campaign supporting the surgeon. Her daughter Chloe, six, was born with a radial club arm, leaving her without a thumb and making her hand useless.

But after being operated on 12 times by Mr Giele she can now use both hands perfectly.

Mr Giele insisted throughout the GMC hearings that he did not have an illicit relationship with his patient, known as Mrs A, and that the 39-year-old woman was suffering from erotomania, which involves a person obsessively believing they are in love with a disinterested party.