When private life becomes a public concern

Registrants are often surprised to learn that what they do in their private lives can cause them to fall into difficulties with their regulator, whether that be the NMC, Social Work England, the HCPC or another.

The benefits garned from being a registered professional come at a price, and that price is that a professional is held to a higher standard of conduct than the general public, both in their professional and their personal life.

Recently we represented two clients with private life issues that touched on their fitness to practise.

One had a health issue that had recurred after several years without repetition. The regulator sought to restrict their practice by suspending them - we successfully argued that the proportionate outcome was a conditions of practice order, focussed on addressing the health issues and plotting a plan back to good health and unrestricted practice.

The second had a conduct issue related to relationships with work colleagues. The issue was complicated with allegations of abuse of position, and our client was relieved to end the process with a sanction that retained their registration.

No matter which regulator governs you, your private life issues can affect your fitness to practise and you have to bear this in mind.