Disciplinary hearing announced

An optometrist will appear before a disciplinary panel of the GOC later next month charged with serious professional misconduct.
Stuart Andrew Maxwell, a Hartlepool-based practitioner, is accused of inadequately carrying out eye examinations on five separate occasions. The basis of the charge dates back to an examination on February 22 1999 when, according to the charge sheet, the optometrist failed to test or record a female patient's sight. He is also accused on that date of failing to instigate treatment of the patient's
condition of amblyopia, or referring her to a registered medical practitioner to assess the status of her squint.
He is similarly accused on four more occasions between February 10 2000 and August 2002.
Finally it is stated that in a letter to the GOC dated September 12 2004 Maxwell claimed to have 'referred the patient to Caroline Street Children's Clinic when you made no such referral'.
His case will be heard on October 11, at the General Dental Council in London.