DO who failed to declare drink driving conviction suspended
The General Optical Council has sanctioned a practitioner with a three-month suspension order
Bromley-based dispensing optician, Tracy Dermott (GOC registration D-15245), received the suspension order after she received a caution for common assault and a drink driving conviction.
Ms Dermott failed to declare the drink driving conviction when applying to retain registration.
The fitness to practise committee noted that while the misconduct and conviction was serious, Ms Dermott had taken a number of steps to remedy her past actions.
Positive testimonials had been made in support of Ms Dermott and the committee accepted that she had developed insight into her past behaviour.
“The committee was satisfied that a period of suspension would be sufficient to mark the seriousness of the case and to serve the purpose of declaring and upholding standards and confidence in the profession,” the decision stated.
Comments (4)
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Anonymous08 October 2020
This isn’t news. Why do we, professional optometrists/opticians, need to know about something which isn’t relevant to optometry. Why do we need to know this lady’s full name and registration details? This seems like tabloid news and is not becoming of a professional publication. I dread the day that I make a mistake...
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Frank Eperjesi08 October 2020
I agree with the first comment. This is not news that is worthy of being reported in OT. It smacks of the gutter press. What benefit is there to anyone of having this Registrant's name published in this way? None. I expect better from OT.
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Anonymous08 October 2020
I agree, it's just naming and shaming, and totally unnecessary. The last thing registrants in this position need is vilification.
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Lucy Miller, OT Deputy Editor09 October 2020
Many thanks for your comments on this story, and for sharing your concerns.
As a professional journal serving UK based optometrists, part of our role is to cover decisions made by the profession’s regulator, the General Optical Council (GOC), as they provide valuable learning opportunities for those within the sector. As such, we reserve the right to report on all cases of note.
At present, all Fitness to Practise cases are also listed as a public record on the GOC’s website for one year.
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