Podiatrist inappropriately touched female patients

A podiatrist who inappropriately touched female patients and provided massages which were not clinically justified has been struck off.

Dermot Hynan commited the offences in 2017 and 2018 while he worked at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, according to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

A professional tribunal hearing, which Mr Hynan did not attend, was told he accepted the allegations against him.

In an email to the HCPC sent prior to the hearing earlier this month, he wrote: "I would like to assure you that I have strived to lead a decent life and that this episode was and is the complete opposite to my character."

Mr Hynan, who worked within the trust's PhysioWorks service, said he was "completely aware of the distress that I have caused the many people and institutions involved and do not want to create more stress on them by needing witnesses at the hearing".

The hearing was told he provided massage therapy to eight female patients between August 2017 and June 2018, which was outside the scope of his practice.

"The Registrant admits that when he purported to provide massage therapy, he was not attempting to undertake a proper, if out of scope, clinical intervention but that his actions were not clinically justified and were sexual," the panel heard.

One of two patients who was touched on their thighs and or buttocks by Mr Hynan said the experience made her feel "uncomfortable, violated and out of sorts".

The panel said Mr Hynan's behaviour had persisted until one of the patients complained.

They said he showed "an apparent disregard for the impact on his patients, some of whom suffered emotional harm", adding that there was a "high risk of repetition of the serious sexual and dishonest conduct".

Dr Nick Lyons, chief medical officer at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said Mr Hynan "abused the professional trust afforded to him in order to deliberately perpetrate these inappropriate acts".

"We are so very sorry for the distress this caused the patients involved," he added.

Dr Lyons said the trust "immediately" began investigating the accusations against Mr Hynan when they received a complaint in 2018.

"He was subsequently dismissed and we reported him to the professional body. The individual has not worked for us since 2018."

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