Whistle blown on clinical failures

Perth-based optometrist Mary Docherty has been suspended for 12 months by a General Optical Council fitness to practise committee after a panel heard she failed to conduct essential ocular examinations and did not keep accurate records over a period of six years.

Docherty was reported to the NHS by a whistle-blower who was concerned about the care of nine patients. The General Ophthalmic Services Performance Review Group (PRG) investigated the records and found concerns in eight out the nine cases. A wider PRG review of 60 patient records found ‘multiple incidents of inadequate patient management, some potentially resulting in long term harm.’