Vet struck off for false certification…

The Disciplinary Committee of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on 30th January 2007 directed that an Oxfordshire-based veterinary surgeon should be struck off the Register of Veterinary Surgeons having found him guilty of serious professional misconduct.

At a two-day hearing that concluded last night, Dr John Walker MRCVS, of Hook Norton Veterinary Surgeons near Banbury, was found guilty on two out of three charges of professional misconduct after entering false vaccination information on two separate horse passports. The certification issue detailed in a third charge was found to be a genuine clerical error and not professional misconduct.

The Committee heard how Dr Walker had certified in the passports of two racehorses belonging to Mr and Mrs WJ Odell – ‘Moorlands Again’ in 2003 and ‘Six Clerks’ in 2000 – that he had administered their vaccinations for equine influenza and tetanus within the deadline stipulated by the then Jockey Club (now The Horseracing Regulatory Authority). Dr Walker admitted to the Committee that when he had certified the vaccinations, he knew he had not vaccinated these animals within the Jockey Club’s deadline.

The Committee also heard that Mrs Odell had been present in 2003 when Dr Walker vaccinated Moorlands Again, but did not recall checking that the dates on the passports were accurate. The owners discovered the discrepancies in the passports in 2004 whilst they were pursuing an unrelated and ongoing civil dispute with Dr Walker involving Moorlands Again. Mrs Odell reluctantly conceded to the Committee that, in a telephone call to Dr Walker in 2006, some reference had been made about the owners not pursuing their complaint to the RCVS against him if they could settle their other differences satisfactorily.

In admitting his false certification to the Committee, Dr Walker expressed his “devastation, embarrassment and remorse” over the events. As an experienced veterinary surgeon and Chairman of the Racecourse Veterinarians Association, he was fully aware of the Jockey Club rules on equine influenza vaccination and the importance of accurate certification.

However, although the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct sets out specific guidance for veterinary surgeons on certification, Dr Walker admitted to not having read the Guide as a whole since he graduated in 1981.

The Committee heard submissions given on Dr Walker’s behalf, including one from the former Chief Executive of the Horseracing Regulatory Authority, testifying to his veterinary skills, excellent clinical judgement and professionalism. Nevertheless, in considering the facts of the case, it was mindful that members of the public, authorities and officials rely on the professional integrity of veterinary surgeons to provide truthful and accurate information.

Mr Brian Jennings, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, said: “We regard any false certification as being an extremely serious matter because it weakens the confidence of the public and damages the integrity of the profession.

“We acknowledge in Dr Walker’s favour the frankness of his admission of the facts, but consider that he ought to have known the significance of his actions, which have fallen far short of those which are expected of a veterinary surgeon. The only appropriate course is to remove Dr Walker’s name from the Register.”