Question
My constituent Sarah Johnson showed remarkable courage in helping to convict a physiotherapist who sexually assaulted her and other women in his care. Her case raised serious questions about how a practitioner who was subject to regulatory restrictions and was later suspended from practice was able to remain employed by the NHS and in contact with patients. Will the Minister work with the Department of Health and Social Care to strengthen the regulations, so that those who are under investigation for sexual offences cannot continue to have contact with patients, and will she meet the survivors and me to discuss the matter further?
Answer
I will gladly meet my hon. Friend and the survivors, and let me put on record my thanks to Sarah for her remarkable courage in coming forward to describe her horrific experience. We will of course continue to engage with colleagues across Government, particularly those in the Department of Health and Social Care, to ensure that anyone who abuses his or her position of trust and influence is held to account, and I look forward to meeting my hon. Friend and Sarah.40% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (60/100)
The Minister gave a clear, direct commitment to meet the MP and the survivors, which fully answers that part of the question. The reply only partly answers the other part: it promises to keep working with DHSC colleagues but does not say whether regulations will be strengthened to stop people under investigation having contact with patients, offering only general statements about holding people to account. The asker would likely need to follow up on that regulatory point.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Minister work with the Department of Health and Social Care to strengthen regulations so that those under investigation for sexual offences cannot continue to have contact with patients? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply commits to continuing to engage with DHSC colleagues, which covers the 'work with DHSC' part, but it never addresses strengthening regulations to stop those under investigation having contact with patients. The closing line about holding people who abuse trust to account is a general platitude, not a mechanism. |
| Will the Minister meet the MP and the survivors to discuss the matter further? | Addressed | Direct | The Minister directly commits to meeting the MP and the survivors ('I will gladly meet my hon. Friend and the survivors' and 'I look forward to meeting my hon. Friend and Sarah'), which answers the item squarely. |