A London-vet has avoided a disciplinary hearing for two charges after he volunteered to remove himself from the register and agreed never to apply to be restored.
There were two charges against James Staton, the first related to his failure to comply with eight requests from the RCVS sent by letter between November 2014 and August 2017 regarding his continuing professional development (CPD) records.
The second charge was between 1 January 2012 and 7 November 2017, where he failed to have professional indemnity insurance or equivalent arrangements in place.
Staton’s request to adjourn the hearing and agree undertakings was made in writing on 9 March 2018 and, at the hearing on Wednesday 4 April 2018, was not opposed by the RCVS.
By accepting Staton’s request for adjournment and his undertakings, no admissions have been made in respect of the charges against him.
When deciding whether to accept the adjournment and undertakings, the Committee was asked to consider a number of factors including Staton’s age and health as well as his ‘unblemished career’ of more than 50 years. Also the Committee considered the fact that he had closed his practice and retired from clinical practice on 31 March 2018 and that he had no intention of practising as a veterinary surgeon again.
For those reasons they felt it would be unfair to take Staton through a full hearing.
Ian Green, chairing the Committee, said: “In coming to this decision the Committee considered the respondent’s application to adjourn this inquiry in the light of the evidence he adduced. It had regard to the interests of justice, the public interest in ensuring high standards are maintained by veterinary surgeons and the need to ensure the protection of animals and their welfare.”
If Staton tries to rejoin the register, the proceedings will become active again and a Disciplinary Committee hearing will be scheduled.
