A NSW dentist has been found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and professional misconduct and deregistered for a period of two years in a case brought by the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) before the Civil and Administrative Tribunal of New South Wales.
William Simpson was found to have self-administered codeine, oxazepam, temazepam and to have prescribed amoxycillin, clavulanic acid, diazepam, codeine with paracetamol, and cephalexin to different patients, some of which happened during a period when his registration as a practitioner was suspended.
He was also found to have been in possession of 0.58g of cocaine.
Simpson was also required to "attend for thrice weekly urine testing" but failed to submit to the order on 13 separate occasions.
Simpson admitted to many of the cited misdemeanours but not all.
Some failings, which were verified by urine testing, were not in dispute and he conceded that he had "given inconsistent information and evidence concerning the criminal charge of possession of cocaine when furnishing information to the police, and in the proceedings before the Local Court and the District Court."
Consequently Simpson conceded that he was guilty of professional misconduct and the court ruled that it was "of a sufficiently serious nature to justify the suspension or cancellation of the practitioner's registration" even though the former dentist was of the opinion that his failings were "innocent of any significant wrongdoing".
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