Misconduct guide drawn up by regulator

A new guide for patients on the subject of possible sexual boundaries violations by healthcare professionals, including opticians, has been published by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE).

The guidance, which is available on the CHRE website (www.chre.org.uk) or available in print on request, is designed to give patients tips on how best to protect themselves and what action to take if they feel a health professional has crossed sexual boundaries. According to the CHRE, the publication of the guidance follows several public enquiries calling for better information on dealing with sexual behaviour towards patients.

To coincide with the announcement, the healthcare regulator also published new figures which revealed that one healthcare professional a week is struck off by regulators for sexual misconduct.