Veterinary Nurse Struck Off After Drug Theft Conviction
Bristol’s Dayna Johnson has been removed from the register by the RCVS Veterinary Nurse Disciplinary Committee following her conviction for the theft of controlled substances from her place of employment. In December 2023, North Somerset Magistrates’ Court found Johnson guilty of theft by an employee after she admitted to stealing buprenorphine from Yatton Vets earlier that same year. As a result of her actions, she received a fine of £120, a surcharge of £48, and incurred costs amounting to £85.
Multiple Charges of Misconduct
Johnson faced several additional charges related to her misconduct. The first charge involved her theft of 5ml of methadone in December 2022 from Vets4Pets in Bristol, which she then injected into herself. Following a police investigation, she accepted a conditional caution that required her to complete a drug awareness program. The second charge involved her taking another syringe of methadone in August 2023 from Langford Small Animal Hospital and using it for herself. Further charges in September 2023 included unlawfully taking methadone, gabapentin, and buprenorphine from Yatton Vets, where she also worked while unfit due to drug use. Lastly, charge four stemmed from an incident in November 2023 when she took a syringe of buprenorphine from Bristol PDSA for self-administration, misleading her colleagues and falsifying clinical records about the situation.
Committee Findings and Admissions
At the beginning of the hearing, Johnson acknowledged all the charges against her. The Committee reviewed the evidence and confirmed that each charge was substantiated. After the criminal case concluded, Johnson wrote a letter of apology to both the RCVS and the veterinary profession, accepting full responsibility for her actions. In her subsequent statement, she expressed her desire to learn from her experiences and improve her personal and professional life, retracting a prior request to resign from the register and affirming her willingness to accept any outcome from the investigation.
Determining Serious Professional Misconduct
In assessing whether Johnson’s actions constituted serious professional misconduct, the Committee considered several aggravating factors, including the potential risk of harm to both animals and humans, her reckless decision to work while under the influence, premeditated actions in securing access to controlled drugs, and the sustained nature of her misconduct over time. The Committee found no mitigating factors that would lessen the seriousness of her actions, concluding that her behavior fell significantly short of the professional standards expected in veterinary practice.
Conclusion on Sanctions
Regarding her criminal conviction, the Committee highlighted the dishonest nature of her offenses, her abuse of the trust placed in her by her employer, and the fact that she committed these acts while under investigation for similar behavior in the past. Consequently, they determined that her conviction rendered her unfit to practice. When considering potential sanctions, the Committee recognized some mitigating factors, such as the absence of previous disciplinary actions against Johnson, her addiction issues at the time, and her claims of being drug-free since December 2023. However, they noted that independent verification of her drug-free status was lacking.
Final Decision on Johnson’s Registration
Kathryn Peaty, the Committee chair, remarked that the severity of Johnson’s misconduct was incompatible with her remaining on the veterinary register. Although they acknowledged her current likelihood of being drug-free based on her testimony and that of her reference, they emphasized that she had not provided evidence of recent safe practice following her dismissal. Weighing all factors, both aggravating and mitigating, the Committee concluded that removal from the register was the only suitable sanction. This decision aims to uphold public confidence in the veterinary profession, ensure animal welfare, and mitigate any risk of future misconduct. The Committee ordered that Johnson’s name be removed from the veterinary nurse register immediately.
