10th February 2005
NEWS RELEASE
Conditions of Practise Order issued by UK Health Regulator

A biomedical scientist from Stanley has been given an 18 month Conditions of Practise Order by the Health Professions Council.

A panel of the Conduct and Competence Committee met on the 8th February 2005 to consider the case of Timothy Hulley.

Carol Lloyd, Chair of the panel, said....."The Panel concluded that the allegation that Mr Hulley's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct to be well founded for the following reasons:

"Mr Hulley left his place of work and the pager in contravention of Trust policy. He failed to analyse an urgent glucose specimen in accordance with Trust policy and he failed to alert the ward by telephone of the critical result, again contrary to Trust policy.

"The Panel has considered each of the sanctions available to it and has decided that to take no further action or to impose a caution would not adequately protect the public. Accordingly the Panel has decided to impose specified Conditions of Practice for a period of 18 months.

"The conditions the Panel are imposing are in 4 parts:

That from the operative date that this is order takes effect (28 days from today) Mr Hulley shall comply with the following conditions of practice:

1. Mr Hulley should not work alone taking sole responsibility for the provision of the service for the full period of the order.

2.  Mr Hulley should not work unsupervised until all the requisite competencies have been signed off by a manager.

3. At the review hearing of this order, Mr Hulley is to provide a report from a senior manager confirming that Mr Hulley meets the Health Professions Council's Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics, in particular part 1, to act in the best interests of your patients, clients and users;  and part 3, to maintain high standards of personal conduct.

4. Mr Hulley shall advise the Health Professions Council if he changes employment at any time during the continuation of this order.

"The Panel also impose a further Interim Conditions of Practice Order on these terms to cover the period within which an appeal against the order maybe made".

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.