Are You Fit To Practise? Peter Charlesworth MSc MCOptom Director of Perceptive Former FTP panel member
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