This case involved an accusation of sexual misconduct. The registrant vehemently denied the allegations in full. They were wanting to retire and not return to the profession but felt they needed to clear their name before doing so. This was a difficult decision, it would have been easier to walk away and close the door on their profession but they felt, quite rightly that this was unfair and could not be left.
Initially, when we met them they were unrepresented. We allocated a legal representative who did part of their case pro bono and they had a clinical mentor who was able to support, guide and explain the relevance of what was going on and how to represent their side of the story.
The case was complicated by a member of the public who had sought punishment for this registrant through police and other investigatory authorities with no success. Her evidence to the NMC was the last attempt to get the outcome wished for – which was the highest sanction.
The registrant remained engaged at all times with the process, there were frequent delays and adjournments due to non-engagement of the key witness as well as poor process by the NMC. We believe by having a mentor and legal representative experienced in the process, who had a clinical background also, meant that she continued to engage.
After nearly 4 years of process, the case was closed on lack of evidence and the registrant was able to get the closure they needed.
The registrant is now working with us to see how the process can be challenged to aim for improvement for others.
“This result is significantly due to the support and guidance I have had from both Cathryn Watters and Simon Holborn without these two amazing people I don’t think I would have made it this far. Thank you to everyone for your positive comments …So glad I found this group and I will use my experiences to support others where possible.”
You can listen to Barbara describe her case in this episode of our podcast: