This petition stems from a deeply personal and distressing experience. A woman, who we will refer to as Woman A, reported her alleged rapist - a Physiotherapist - to the Police and to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in 2021.

Despite the serious nature of this ongoing criminal investigation, which is taking many years to reach court in the UK, the HCPC has allowed this healthcare professional to continue working as if nothing had happened. This is negligent and poses a serious risk of harm to members of the public. It totally defeats the stated aim of the HCPC - to protect the public.

The HCPC must take allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and adopt a standard policy of suspending health care professionals who are under criminal investigation for sexual crimes. It's alarming that despite such grave allegations, these professionals can continue practicing without any conditions on their practise.

This situation is not unique. An FOI Request in January 2023 confirmed that there were 153 Health Care Professionals referred to the HCPC  for sexual offences who were working without any conditions on their practice.

We demand that HCPC immediately revise its policies regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against registered practitioners. We call upon them to suspend any health care professional under criminal investigation for sexual crimes, until their case has been resolved by law enforcement authorities.

Please sign this petition demanding stronger safeguarding measures from our healthcare regulatory bodies. Your signature could help prevent another individual from becoming a victim.