Scottish dentist struck off for second time
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- Published: Tuesday, 16 February 2016 08:14
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A Scottish dentist has been removed from the GDC register for the second time, for ‘for serious misconduct and dishonesty by putting the health of his patients at risk from cross-contamination.’ At the same hearing, his practice manager was also stuck off and his dental nurse had conditions imposed on her registration for 12 months.
At the hearing it was alleged that Alan Morrison had re-used matrix bands on different patients, did not change his surgical gloves between patients and used instruments which either should have either only been used once and thrown away or sterilised or disinfected before being reused. The allegations related to Mr Morrison's conduct at his dental surgeries in Cumnock and Drongan between December 2009 and September 2013. The Committee also heard allegations of dishonesty as Mr Morrison created false invoices for dental supplies and instruments he did not buy.
At the same hearing, the PCC also considered the conduct of Lorraine Kelly and Dawn Grant. Mrs Kelly worked as a practice manager and Mrs Grant worked as a dental nurse at Mr Morrison's dental practices. They both faced allegations of reusing single use items, for inadequate infection control and dishonesty responding to the investigation by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
In reaching their decision to determine misconduct for Mr Morrison, the Committee said: "Your actions in reusing single use items, permitting other dental nurses to include used single use items in the instruments laid out for the treatment of patients, failing to arrange the training of your staff in cross-infection control and failing to ensure that your practices contained local decontamination units which complied with the requirements of NHS Scotland, put patients at unwarranted risk of harm.
"You breached fundamental tenets of the dental profession and your actions brought the profession into disrepute. In addition, your dishonest conduct was a concerted effort to deliberately deceive the Health Board in relation to the purchase of single use items at your practices."
In reaching their decision to remove Mr Morrison from the register, the Committee concluded "That your woeful behaviour, as detailed in this determination, has damaged your fitness to practise and public confidence in the dental profession to the extent that removal of your professional status is the only appropriate and proportionate outcome."
In considering Mrs Kelly's allegations, the Committee noted it has not seen any evidence of remorse or insight into her dishonest conduct regarding the cross-infection control concerns. It said: "The cross-infection control failings, the dishonest conduct and the attempt to interfere with an investigation found proved against Mrs Kelly were very serious departures from the standards of conduct expected of a registered dental care professional and fell significantly short of the standards expected of the profession. " The Committee made a decision to remove Mrs Kelly from the register.
In considering the allegations of Mrs Grant, the Committee said: "Dental nurses have the responsibility of ensuring that instruments for the treatment of patients are put through the appropriate cross-infection control processes. As a registered dental care professional Mrs Grant had a responsibility to report any breaches of cross-infection control to the appropriate authorities. "Rather than do this, Mrs Grant put her interests before that of her patients and colleagues by denying that single use items were reused at the practices."
It agreed that while the actions of Mrs Grant were a serious departure from the standards of conduct expected of a dental care professional, it noted that her actions related to cross-infection control are remedial and as a dental nurse she would have done what was instructed. The Committee imposed an immediate order of conditions on Ms Grant's registration as well as imposing conditions on Mrs Grant's ability to practise for a period of 12 months.
Mr Morrison had previously been struck off the register in 2005 after allowing an inmate at Kilmarnock jail, where he worked, to inject another prisoner with a sedative. The recent case resulted in ‘thousands of patients being tested’, a local paper revealed. Four were found to be infected with Hepatitis C. The Daily Record reported that at least 600 patients were threatening to sue the dentist, which could cost his indemnifiers over £1million.
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