Two Regulators Needed to Stop Rogue Dentist
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- Published: Wednesday, 16 October 2024 09:32
- Written by Peter Ingle
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A recent court case leading to a ‘Director of dental services‘ being fined has shown dentistry‘s double regulation in action. Karim Guirguis, also known as Kareem Guirguis, director of DE Clinics UK Limited (trading as The Dental Experts), was ordered to pay £9,614 and issued a 12-month Community Order.
The charges heard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court related to composite bonding treatments that were carried out between 14 November 2022 and 5 January 2023 and carried out by The Dental Experts. Mr Guirguis had been suspended as a dentist by the General Dental Council since 3 November 2022.
Mr Guirguis was ordered to complete a 12-month Community Order and 15 days’ Rehabilitation and Activity Requirement (RAR). He was also ordered to pay a fine of £5,000, £3,000 prosecution costs, a victim surcharge of £114 and £500 in compensation to each of the three named victims. Mr Guirguis was also disqualified from being a company director for three years.
Neither Mr Guirguis, DE Clinics UK Limited nor “The Dental Experts” were registered with the CQC to undertake any regulated activities including surgical procedures. Action was bought against Mr Guirguis by the CQC on the grounds that he was carrying on dental services without registration, which is a criminal offence under section 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Ros Sanderson, CQC’s deputy director of national enforcement, said: “I hope this outcome sends a clear message to others that where we find providers operating outside of the law, we will always use our enforcement powers to protect people and hold them to account to stop poor and illegal practice.
“It is unacceptable that Karim Guirguis risked people’s safety by running a service without the benefit of CQC registration, so I welcome Mr Guirguis’s guilty plea to this offence.”
Ros Sanderson concluded: “When we find individuals operating unlawfully, we won’t hesitate to act to protect people, as we did in this case.”
The case suggests a more energetic response to unregistered establishments from the CQC, compared to when Smile Direct Club were operating. As a part of its remit to protect the public the GDC have also historically taken action against unregistered individuals carrying out the practice of dentistry.
At a GDC Professional Conduct Committee Review Hearing in September 2023 the decision was taken to suspend Mr Guirguis indefinitiely. This prevents him seeking a review for at least two years.
A petition has been created by one of his previous victims to ’Stop Karim/ Kareem Guirguis from being able to operate or open companies in dentistry’.
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