Aberdeen dentists Fergus and Glover have been reprimanded after operating “illegally” in the city for three years.
It previously emerged that the pair’s Union Street practice wasn’t properly registered between October 2017 and December 2020.
At one point both Jacqueline Fergus and George Glover were facing 18-month suspensions affecting their clinics in Aberdeen and Glasgow.
But it emerged a practice manager, who’d been given responsibility for signing the documents, hadn’t managed to supply the necessary paperwork.
And instead of owning up, he kept quiet and maintained that “everything was in hand” – until industry bosses began to intervene.
What was the issue?
Fergus and Glover admitted that, for three years, neither of their dental practices had been officially registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).
The responsibility had been delegated to a practice manager, who later admitted to becoming overwhelmed by the “onerous and challenging” task.
Rather than telling the dentists about his difficulties, he continued to reassure them.
This continued, even as the regulator started sending warning letters about their status.
The penny only dropped when the General Dental Council wrote to Fergus and Glover about the situation on December 8 2020.
Their practices were forced to close immediately, and a hearing before the regulator was scheduled for the following week.
Actions were ‘misconduct’
Both dentists were accused of misconduct, with their fitness to practise called into question by the Dental Professionals Hearings Service.
The committee there determined they were “genuinely unaware” of the repeated notifications sent to them about their registration.
But it ruled that they should have inspected the documents themselves to ensure they were correct.
Had I become aware of a third party practice that was operating unregistered, I would have been appalled.” – Extract of Fergus Glover’s statement to the panel
They were told there was a risk of harm to patients because the lack of HIS registration meant they wouldn’t be subject to the same oversight as other practices.
It added there was no evidence of actual harm.
Overall Fergus and Glover’s actions were classed as misconduct, and they submitted statements saying they were “absolutely devastated” by what had happened.
Last March they sold the practices to someone else, but continue to work there as associates – meaning they’re no longer responsible for running a clinic.
Fergus and Glover were reprimanded following the hearing. It was judged that any stronger measures would be “wholly disproportionate and… purely punitive”.
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