Cocaine claim leads to suspension for Specsavers optician

A dispensing optician who allegedly worked under the influence of cocaine while in practice has been suspended from the profession for six months pending a full hearing into his case.

Nathan Thomas Ryan appeared before a GOC fitness to practise panel earlier this month. The hearing was told that Ryan, from Chester, worked at Specsavers’ Birkenhead branch in the north west.

When the matter came to light Ryan was first suspended from his job and later sacked for ‘gross misconduct’.

The panel heard that he admitted using £1,200 worth of the drug in a week during a three-week absence from work.

However, in the second week of that period he was said to have started drug counselling and is now receiving treatment from a dependency clinic.