Former vet fails in eighth restoration bid

A former vet turned herbalist struck off more than 25 years ago has just had his eighth application to be restored to the register turned down by the RCVS’ disciplinary committee.

Warwick Seymour-Hamilton was originally removed from the register following a practice inspection in 1993, which found his operating theatre “showed a total disregard of basic hygiene and care for animals, and was such as to bring the profession into disrepute”.

Herbal medicine

Since being removed from the register, Mr Seymour-Hamilton has made applications for restoration in 1995, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Each of these has been rejected.

In his latest restoration application (Tuesday 30 June to 1 July), Mr Seymour-Hamilton said that he did not want to rejoin the register in order to practise but, instead, to facilitate his research in the area of herbal medicine.

No understanding

In considering his conduct since leaving the register, the committee found that Mr Seymour-Hamilton had admitted to a number of instances of conduct that it found “reprehensible”.

This included:

• carrying out spays
• not self-isolating after testing positively for coronavirus and, in fact, travelling through France and Spain in breach of the lockdown put in place due to the pandemic
• deliberately trying to re-infect himself with coronavirus and then visiting a vulnerable person without maintaining social distancing
• treating his own animals with untested herbal remedies
• using his own remedies to treat people, which, in one case, included a nine-year-old boy in Greece

‘Misplaced confidence’

In summing up, Judith Way, who was chairing the committee and speaking on its behalf, said: “He has exhibited a disregard for regulation and compliance with the law. He lacks an understanding as to why he has not been restored in the past. He has not set about addressing any of his shortcomings.

“He relies wholeheartedly on his research, yet he does not support that research with any real peer-reviewed publications and he fails to acknowledge the consequences of being out of practice for so long.

“He has misplaced confidence in his own abilities, and does not recognise that his approach and/or actions can represent a danger to animals and to the public. The committee has therefore reached the conclusion that the applicant is not a fit person to be restored to the register.”

The full findings of the restoration hearing for Mr Seymour-Hamilton can be found on the RCVS website.