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A pharmacy technician who took cocaine on the hospital premises where he worked and was later convicted for possession of a class A drug has been struck off the register by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

On Monday, the regulator found Tom Hennebry’s fitness-to-practise was impaired after he failed to provide any information to show his drug use had been addressed and prove there would be no risk to the public if he returned to work. 

Hennebry had been given two suspensions, one for six months and another one for 12 months, after he was found to be under the influence of cocaine while working at St Pancras Hospital on May 10, 2023. His current suspension expires this month. He was convicted at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in August 2023 of possessing a controlled class A drug. 

The committee said Hennebry, who chose not to attend Monday’s hearing, failed to show he had engaged in “rehabilitation from drug misuse” and insisted it had “no confidence he would be willing or able to comply with any conditions that may be imposed on his registration”.

Noting his “stated intention not to continue his career in pharmacy”, the committee concluded Hennebry had shown no “insight” into his drug taking “other than acknowledging what happened” and “provided no reflection of the impact of his behaviour on public safety or on the reputation of the profession”.

“These failures on his part cause the committee a great deal of concern that the risk of repetition remains high,” it said, insisting he “failed to engage with the regulatory process in any meaningful way”.

The committee added: “There is no information from the registrant about whether or not he is still using illicit drugs or any detail about what steps he has taken to rehabilitate himself, e.g. reflective practice, CPD or other training, treatment etc.”

Removing him from the register, it said his “behaviour was fundamentally incompatible with being a registered pharmacy professional”.