At a hearing on May 5, the GDC’s Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) decided Simone Harper’s conviction means she can no longer work as a dental nurse.
A spokesperson for the General Dental Council said, “A conviction of supplying drugs and receiving two cautions for possessing drugs could contribute to a breach in the public’s confidence in dental services. Therefore, the PCC decided to remove Ms Harper from the register.
“The hearing was part-heard on December 8, 2016, however was adjourned until May 5, 2017, while the General Dental Council investigated Ms Harper’s conduct and sought further information about the background of her cautions and conviction.”
Ms Harper also failed to immediately inform the GDC she had been convicted of a criminal offence. At the hearing, the PPC heard Ms Harper had been sentenced to three months imprisonment at Sheffield Crown Court, on April 2, 2015.
The PCC determination papers said that the police witness statement stated that cannabis with a total street value of over £3,000 was found in Ms Harper’s home.
It added, “In the absence of any evidence of insight, in which Ms Harper has accepted her failings and offered evidence that would assure the committee of her commitment not to repeat them, the committee was satisfied that there is an unacceptable risk of repetition.”
Ms Harper – who has been immediately suspended – will have 28 days to appeal the decision. If she does not appeal, she will be removed from the register of dental professionals after this time which means she will not be able to practise as a dental nurse in the UK.