The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) has filed an appeal against the decision of the General Optical Council (GOC) Fitness to Practise (FTP) Committee to suspend optometrist Honey Rose for a period of nine months.
The GOC FTP Committee had found Ms Rose guilty of failing to carry out adequate eye examinations in respect of two children, Patients A and B, and dishonestly making an inaccurate and misleading record in relation to her examination of Patient A. The committee did not order a review of the registrant before the end of the period of suspension.
The PSA stated today (26 January 2021) that it had referred the matter to the High Court due to its concern that “the decision was not sufficient to protect the public”.
Specifically, the Authority said it was “of the view that the General Optical Council failed to properly charge Ms Rose with certain allegations, the committee took the wrong approach to impairment and sanction, and the committee wrongly decided not to require a review before the conclusion of the period of suspension.”
The Authority is asking the Court to quash the findings made by the GOC FTP Committee in relation to misconduct, impairment and sanction, and remit the case back to the committee for reconsideration.
The GOC has responded: “We are aware that the Professional Standards Authority [PSA] has referred the case of the GOC against Honey Rose, as considered by our independent Fitness to Practise Committee (FtPC), to the High Court, under its powers under the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002. We cannot comment on ongoing cases and we will cooperate fully with the PSA during this process.”