Dentist struck off after her dog bit inspector

A DENTIST was struck off after her dog bit an inspector from the General Dental Council (GDC) who was reviewing her practice, a report has revealed.

Aileen Hopkins, who is in her 70s, was removed from the professional register after she failed to respond to a series of “very serious concerns”.

An inspector who visited the practice in Newhaven, East Sussex, was attacked by one of three dogs found under the reception desk.

A GDC report said Ms Hopkins, who has owned South Way Surgery since 1988, had “failed to protect staff and patients” from the risks of injury and the spread of infection, the report said. It raised 57 “matters requiring attention” and said there was “clear evidence of extraordinary carelessness and chaos”.

The dentist dismissed the concerns as “nit picky”.

Ms Hopkins was said to have used materials beyond their expiry date and between 2014 and 2015 used endomethasone in root canal fillings, despite it being withdrawn in 2010.

She abused patients’ trust and committed fraud against the NHS before trying to cover it up, the report said. Ms Hopkins exaggerated the number of units of dental activity she carried out to “prevent a deduction to her payments”, then amended records when her claim was investigated.

The reports said it was “a sad case” as Ms Hopkins had previously had an “unblemished career of over 40 years”, but the findings were deemed too serious to allow her to continue as a registered dentist.