A cautionary tale for all optometrists who’ve sold their souls to Optical Express and discarded their duty of care in return for shiny prizes and fat bonuses
There is no record anywhere on the internet of his having ever worked at Optical Express, but when I read the allegations against Nathan Smith a few months ago, it was a safe bet that this related to OE, and I booked my ‘ticket' for the GOC FtP hearing on Monday 9 November.
Not as much fun as the cancelled Optical Express FtP hearing would have been next week, and considerably shorter, just over one hour in total, because it was an ‘Agreed Panel Disposal’ (APD), which simply explained means that, prior to the hearing, a provisional agreement was reached between the GOC and registrant Nathan Smith who had admitted the allegations.
His fitness to practise was found to be impaired by reason of misconduct, and it was agreed that an appropriate sanction would be a three month Order of Suspension.
The determination below, and (though I don't understand the reasoning for this) read ‘Optical Express’ where you see '
[REDACTED]'.
However, not included in this document are some of the more pertinent points mentioned by Sam Thomas, counsel for Nathan Smith.
Referring to the five points '
in mitigation action of the APD report', Sam Thomas said he would ’
put a little bit of of meat on those bones’, because that was '
really the focus' of what had been agreed within the report.
Nathan Smith had made full admission of his actions to his employer (OE) in 2013, and Sam claimed it was fair to say that there was '
a corporate culture’ within the company, drawing the Committee’s attention to documentation that referred to ‘
a bonus scheme’, which he read out.
‘"
There is a reward, and recognises the contribution that you will make. If you dispense over ELEVEN tests you will receive £5 per dispense over this amount: if you reach your daily sales target you will receive £50 per day.”
*
Also the job description for this particular role highlights that "there must be a commercial focus, and you will have good ethos toward commercial aspects of the job.”
Now I don’t want to go any further than to highlight that information, because of course that’s no excuse [for Smith's behaviour], but there a number of observers here today from OE which perhaps illustrates the keenness of that company to ensure that there is a focus towards commercial aspects.’
He went on to say that whilst Smith had been with Optical Express since 5 November 2007, there were no concerns about his behaviour until 2013. He resigned on 12 January 2013 when Patient A complained to OE.
And knowing as much as I do about OE’s modus operandi, I have no doubt that they would have ignored his misconduct if Patient A had not complained.
And it was noted by the Committee chair, Anne Johnstone, that Optical Express did not advise the GOC of Smith’s misconduct.
Of course not, because then they’d have to report ALL their optoms, not least for lying to customers - especially the Hannan family (incl Tweedledum's wife Noelle & brother Derrick) - and OE’s infrastructure would collapse!
As OE optoms shamefully count their ill gotten gains on pay day, they should keep in mind that the GOC Committee did consider Erasure from the register for Nathan Smith, because - as I published on 6 November - the Council is going to be flooded with complaints, and every OE optom is at risk!
It should be noted that Nathan Smith was before the GOC FtP Committee in 2018, facing similar allegations of misconduct (unrelated to refractive eye surgery) whilst working at Asda in 2015.
Smith made no admissions to the allegations, and the Committee found the facts '
not proved in their entirety’, declaring his fitness to practise not impaired.
**
*I have previously published many OE internal documents evidencing bonus payments, targets, and incentives for sales, paid to optoms and store staff. Yet I have in my possession (on its way to the GOC) a very recent recording of a damaged patient asking an optom if they receive bonuses for sales, and the optom said 'NO'!
**Google 'Nathan Smith GOC’ for links.
NB: I thought long and hard about whether it was fair to publish this fact, and decided it was not only in the public interest to do so, but importantly as a warning to OE optoms that I do not take prisoners, because they really are the infrastructure of OE's business model, and without their collusion many thousands of people would not continue to have their eyes and lives ruined!
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