Are You Fit To Practise?

Peter Charlesworth MSc MCOptom

Director of Perceptive

Former FTP panel member

Disclaimer

As a former member of the FTP committee I amno longer affiliated to the GOC or the FTP process.This presentation is my own opinion and does notrepresent the opinion of the GOC or the FTPcommittee. I have no involvement in the cases Iwill present and am not party to any informationother than in the transcripts and determinationspublicly available on the GOC website

Fitness To Practise

2012/13 Annual Review

From 239 Complaints

The Process

Fitness To Practise Hearing

Impairment

• The FTP Panel decide whether a registrant’s fitness to practise is ‘impaired’

• The process is concerned with protecting the public and upholding professional standards not punishing the registrant or awarding damages

• Fitness to practise can be ‘impaired’ by:– misconduct– poor performance– criminal conviction or caution– physical or mental health problems

Decision Making

• Fact

• Misconduct

• Impairment

• Sanction

Decision Making

• Misconduct:

Decision Making

• Performance:

Decision Making

• Impairment

Decision Making

• Sanction:

Cases

Recent FTP cases

16

Cases in December 2014

Interim Orders 2

Interim Reviews 5

Substantive Decisions 2

Substantive Reviews 2

Total 11

Cases in December 2014

Optometrists 8 (inc 2 SO)

Dispensing Opticians 3 (inc 1 SD)

Cases

Lee Bernard Substantive

Helen Wilkinson IO.

Adil Razzaq IO review.

Honey Rose IO review.

Satbir Jhangra Substantive.

Sean Higgins Substantive

Huma Ahmed Registration Appeal

James Toal Substantive

Consider

• What are the allegations of the case?

• What are the facts of the case?

– Who did the panel believe & why?

– Would you have done things differently?

• Was misconduct found and if so why?

• Was impairment found and if so for what reason

– Do you agree?

• How did the panel decide on sanction?

– Do you agree?

Summary

• FTP is only one legal route

• Cases are a small proportion of complaints

• Cases take a long time to resolve

• Consider facts on balance of probability

• Committee decides on fitness to practise today

• Considers public, profession and registrant interest

• Apply proportional sanction

Are You Fit To Practise?

Peter Charlesworth MSc MCOptom

Director of Perceptive

Former FTP panel member