28 Jun 2021
Senior veterinary nurse “abused trust” and acted dishonestly after taking dog food and wormer syringes without paying for them, as well as asking a colleague to register her cat incorrectly.
Vet Times
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A vet nurse from Paisley has been suspended from her job after the RCVS’ VN disciplinary committee (VN DC) found that she had dishonestly taken products from her clinic.
Laura Benson was suspended for nine months after the VN DC concluded that she had taken a number of items without paying, or paying incorrectly, and asking another member of staff to register her cat incorrectly.
Ms Benson admitted five out of the six charges, said to occur between January 2018 and December 2019. She denied the charge that she had acted dishonestly.
The VN DC heard how Ms Benson was found to have taken dog food and horse wormer syringes without paying. She had also taken additional boxes of animal food and horse wormer without paying the correct amount.
Ms Benson’s defence contended that no actual harm had been caused to any animals by way of her conduct, and that she had not been aware or intended to take the items, for which she has now paid.
The committee considered that Ms Benson’s conduct had involved a degree of premeditation, as she had repeatedly taken items during an extended period. They also considered that there had been a potential risk of injury to animals resulting from Ms Benson’s request to incorrectly write up her animal’s veterinary records.
Cerys Jones, chairing the committee, said: “The committee considered that in the case of Ms Benson, there had been a potential risk to animals had her pet’s records been incorrectly completed, although no harm resulted.
“The request to alter the records had been a short, single event, but the taking of items had been repeated over a period. The committee also considered that Ms Benson had abused the trust placed in her as a senior nurse with managerial responsibility.”
Ms Jones added: “We took into account that there was some evidence of Ms Benson being overloaded by work, but there was no evidence of any health condition during the time of the misconduct which might explain her actions.
“However, dishonesty is a serious matter in relation to professional practice, and taking no action in response to the serious nature of Ms Benson’s disgraceful conduct would not be proportionate or serve to protect animals and maintain public confidence in the profession.
“Having carefully considered matters, the committee decided that the appropriate and proportionate sanction was to suspend Ms Benson’s registration for nine months.”
For full details of the case, visit the RCVS website.
