Theft and fraud most common cause for fitness-to-practise cases
Exclusive Theft and fraud were responsible for more than a third of fitness-to-practise cases last year, a C+D analysis of the 45 public hearings between April 2012 and April 2013 has found.
Theft and fraud were responsible for more than a third of fitness-to-practise cases last year, a C+D analysis of the 45 public hearings between April 2012 and April 2013 has found.
These offences also attracted the most serious sanctions, as 10 out of the 16 hearings involving theft and fraud resulted in removal from the register.
Legal experts explained that this was because dishonesty cast the most serious doubts over fitness to practise. David Reissner, head of healthcare at Charles Russell, said integrity was seen as a "fundamental element of being a professional".
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"It's considered if a pharmacist acts dishonestly, that undermines public confidence in all pharmacists" David Reissner, Charles Russell |
 More on fitness to practise |
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Although repaying misappropriated money could boost a pharmacist's chances of remaining on the register, Mr Reissner said the GPhC tended to take a dim view of all cases involving theft or fraud. "It's considered if a pharmacist acts dishonestly, that undermines public confidence in all pharmacists," Mr Reissner told C+D. |
Fingers crossed on your FTP?JMW Solicitors partner Andrea James said dishonesty was seen as potentially a more fundamental flaw than other issues. "It's much more difficult to remediate a character issue such as dishonesty than if you, for example, have a poor record of dispensing errors," she told C+D.
The GPhC's indicative sanctions guidance, which guides fitness-to-practise committees in decision making, names dishonesty as the top aggravating factor in cases.
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The guidance is set to undergo a full review and in future will be set by the council, as opposed to committees themselves, but GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin suggested dishonesty would remain an important factor. "One of the reasons why it's important for health professionals to be regulated is because, very often, the people using their services don't know as much about the subject matter as them," Mr Rudkin told C+D. "They have to place their trust in them, so trust is fundamental to our business." |
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Five common reasons for facing a hearing1 Theft/fraud 36% 2 Professional practice issues 27% 3 Dishonesty 24% (other than theft/fraud) 4 Substance misuse 18% 5 Unprofessional behaviour 11% Figures taken from C+D analysis of the 45 public fitness-to-practise hearings that took place between April 1, 2012 and April 1, 2013, excluding review and appeal hearings. Some cases involve more than one factor. |
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