High Court overturns findings of FTP panel

Findings of deficient professional performance, impairment and sanctions by a General Optical Council (GOC) fitness to practise (FTP) committee against an optometrist were overturned at an appeal hearing in the High Court on January 14.

Janine Elizabeth Vali's fitness to practise was found to be impaired by an FTP committee in January 2010. It alleged that she had failed to take appropriate action on discovering a patient had raised intraocular pressures in a sight test conducted in 2005 when she was newly qualified.

Among the conditions imposed on Vali by the committee in 2010 were that with a supervisor she must formulate a personal development plan specifically designed to address glaucoma and its management. Another condition was that Vali must not carry out examinations of patients over 40 years of age without a supervisor viewing and approving the examination records within seven days, because of the increased risk of glaucoma in such patients.