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News & Reports
RCVS Disciplinary Committee
Application for restoration to the RCVS Register refused THE RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a former veterinary surgeon’s third application for restoration to the RCVS Register, expressing its ‘surprise and concern’ at the applicant’s lack of preparation for the restoration hearing. The RCVS reports that Warwick Seymour-Hamilton was removed from the Register in 1994 following an inspection of his premises in Orpington, Kent. At that time, it reports, the condition of his premises, equipment and facilities ‘was so poor that it constituted a risk to the health and welfare of animals brought to the practice and brought the profession into disrepute’. Mr Seymour-Hamilton applied to be restored to the RCVS Register in July 1995 and June 2010. However, the College reports, both applications were refused on the grounds of poor preparation for returning to practice life as ‘in both cases, Mr Seymour-Hamilton had made no attempt to engage in CPD or to visit and observe other veterinary practices’. 218 | Veterinary Record | February 28, 2015
Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s third application for restoration to the Register was heard by the Disciplinary Committee on February 11. Mr Seymour-Hamilton represented himself at the hearing and told the committee that, since 2010, he had further developed an interest in herbal medicine. He had visited a number of veterinary practices in continental Europe, and attended the College of Naturopathic Medicine in Dublin, gaining a qualification in herbal and naturopathic medicine. He currently worked as a herbalist and naturopath with human patients, but wanted to widen his work and research to include animal patients. The RCVS reports that the Disciplinary Committee was concerned by Mr SeymourHamilton’s answers to a number of questions; for example, it says, he described the restoration hearing as an ‘exploratory meeting’. He also indicated a lack of knowledge in a number of areas to do with veterinary practice and its regulation. The committee felt that this demonstrated a
fundamental lack of understanding as to its function and terms of reference. The committee was also concerned about Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s lack of understanding of the regulatory framework for veterinary practice as set out in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, the requirements of CPD, and what ‘fitness to practise’ meant beyond the practical issues of his physical and mental capacity. Speaking on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, its chair, Noreen Burrows, said: ‘The committee expresses its surprise and concern at the lack of preparation for this hearing by the applicant, given that these issues have arisen at his previous restoration hearings, and that the result of a positive finding in favour of him would be his ability to practise unfettered as a veterinary surgeon forthwith.’ She added: ‘Based on all of the evidence available to the committee it is very clear that he has failed to satisfy . . . that he is fit to be restored to the Register and this application is therefore dismissed.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.h1036
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Application for restoration to the RCVS Register refused Veterinary Record 2015 176: 218
doi: 10.1136/vr.h1036 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/176/9/218.1
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To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports
RCVS Disciplinary Committee
Application for restoration to the RCVS Register refused THE RCVS Disciplinary Committee has dismissed a former veterinary surgeon’s third application for restoration to the RCVS Register, expressing its ‘surprise and concern’ at the applicant’s lack of preparation for the restoration hearing. The RCVS reports that Warwick Seymour-Hamilton was removed from the Register in 1994 following an inspection of his premises in Orpington, Kent. At that time, it reports, the condition of his premises, equipment and facilities ‘was so poor that it constituted a risk to the health and welfare of animals brought to the practice and brought the profession into disrepute’. Mr Seymour-Hamilton applied to be restored to the RCVS Register in July 1995 and June 2010. However, the College reports, both applications were refused on the grounds of poor preparation for returning to practice life as ‘in both cases, Mr Seymour-Hamilton had made no attempt to engage in CPD or to visit and observe other veterinary practices’. 218 | Veterinary Record | February 28, 2015
Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s third application for restoration to the Register was heard by the Disciplinary Committee on February 11. Mr Seymour-Hamilton represented himself at the hearing and told the committee that, since 2010, he had further developed an interest in herbal medicine. He had visited a number of veterinary practices in continental Europe, and attended the College of Naturopathic Medicine in Dublin, gaining a qualification in herbal and naturopathic medicine. He currently worked as a herbalist and naturopath with human patients, but wanted to widen his work and research to include animal patients. The RCVS reports that the Disciplinary Committee was concerned by Mr SeymourHamilton’s answers to a number of questions; for example, it says, he described the restoration hearing as an ‘exploratory meeting’. He also indicated a lack of knowledge in a number of areas to do with veterinary practice and its regulation. The committee felt that this demonstrated a
fundamental lack of understanding as to its function and terms of reference. The committee was also concerned about Mr Seymour-Hamilton’s lack of understanding of the regulatory framework for veterinary practice as set out in the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct, the requirements of CPD, and what ‘fitness to practise’ meant beyond the practical issues of his physical and mental capacity. Speaking on behalf of the Disciplinary Committee, its chair, Noreen Burrows, said: ‘The committee expresses its surprise and concern at the lack of preparation for this hearing by the applicant, given that these issues have arisen at his previous restoration hearings, and that the result of a positive finding in favour of him would be his ability to practise unfettered as a veterinary surgeon forthwith.’ She added: ‘Based on all of the evidence available to the committee it is very clear that he has failed to satisfy . . . that he is fit to be restored to the Register and this application is therefore dismissed.’ doi: 10.1136/vr.h1036
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on July 11, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Application for restoration to the RCVS Register refused Veterinary Record 2015 176: 218
doi: 10.1136/vr.h1036 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/176/9/218.1
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
