8th February 2005
NEWS RELEASE
Conditions of Practice Order for paramedic from Liverpool

A panel of the Conduct and Competence Committee of the HPC met yesterday at Park House, Kennington to hear the case of Ian Carville. The panel heard the allegation that his fitness to practise was impaired by reason of his Misconduct in that:

1. In 2003 you accessed and viewed internet sites during the course of your employment that were of an inappropriate nature.

2. On 12/13 October 2003 shift, you absented yourself from your post leading to an associated dereliction of your duty.

Keith Ross, Chairman of the Panel said "Mr Carville has accepted that his fitness to practice is impaired by reason of misconduct. Accordingly we find the allegations to be well founded.

"Mr Carville has worked in the Ambulance Service for some 25 years and had an unblemished record of service. The evidence before us supports the view that he is a dedicated professional who, in committing the admitted acts, departed from his normal standards. We accept he regrets his conduct. We accept these incidents were out of character.

"We have heard that the misconduct arose because Mr Carville was under stress. His case is that stress caused alcohol dependency and contributed to his behaviour. We are concerned however about his lack of insight into the effects of stress upon him at the time. He did not recognise the stress that he was under and took no steps to seek help.

"We have borne in mind that the misconduct in viewing inappropriate internet sites did not involve criminal activity. We are concerned, however, that these activities are likely to have damaged the reputation of the profession and to have undermined public confidence in the profession. Moreover, we are concerned about the protection of members of the public given Mr Carville's past lack of insight. In these circumstances we have decided to make an order imposing conditions on Mr Carville's ability to practice:

1. Mr Carville shall provide a written report as to his psychological health from a qualified clinical psychologist every six months:

2. That he shall not practice as a Paramedic in face-to-face contact with the public unless operating as part of a double person crew, the other member of which must be, at least, a qualified ambulance technician.

"We have decided that these conditions of practice are necessary to provide continuing independent assurance that Mr Carville is fit to practice and to facilitate a supportive environment for him so reducing any risk to patient and public safety.
We have decided that these conditions of practice should apply for three years".

The Health Professions Council is a UK-wide health regulator set up to protect the public. It sets standards for thirteen health professions. The HPC only registers people who meet its standards for their professional skills, behaviour and health, and will take action against people who do not.