False claims lead to erasure for DO

A dispensing optician who admitted making a series of false health insurance claims for him and his family has been erased from the General Optical Council’s registers by a fitness to practise committee.

The committee alleged that Gary Swerner made eight false claims to his health insurance provider, Simplyhealth, between 2007 and 2009. Five of the claims related to overstating the number of overnight stays in hospital and three claims involved doctored receipts for chiropody treatments which were then submitted to the health insurance provider. The committee said the overall cost to Simplyhealth was £2,264.

Despite an unblemished record and references to his integrity, the committee said the registrant had acted dishonestly and regarded the case as ‘protracted insurance fraud’ which saw the registrant falsify documents. It was noted by the committee that the registrant had attempted to repay the money dishonestly obtained, albeit after an investigation by Simplyhealth in 2009 had discovered the discrepancies.