Darren Admanson

Preliminary Matters:

Privacy

1.    Ms Sampson made an application for any reference to the Registrant’s private life, including his health, to be heard in private. The Registrant supported that application.

2.    The Panel had regard to the HCPTS Practice Note on “Conducting Hearings in Private” and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor. The Panel granted the application for any reference to the Registrant’s private life to be heard in private on the grounds advanced by Ms Sampson; the hearing would otherwise be conducted in public.

Background:

3.    The Registrant is registered with the HCPC as a Practitioner Psychologist. He was employed by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (“the Trust”) as a Band 7 Counselling Psychologist from November 2018.

4.    In April 2019, concerns about the Registrant’s practice were identified by the Registrant’s supervisors and colleagues. These concerns came about as a result of numerous complaints raised by patients and focused on the frequency of appointment cancellations. Following receipt of these complaints, an investigation into the Registrant’s caseload was conducted which led to the discovery of poor patient care and record keeping across the Registrant’s caseload.

5.    Although the Registrant received continued supervisory support, a further complaint was received by the Trust in September 2019 raising concerns that were similar in nature to those raised earlier in the same year.

6.    A meeting was conducted between the Trust and the Registrant, and it was agreed between the parties that the Registrant would leave the Trust’s employment in October 2019.

7.    A referral was made to the HCPC on 30 October 2019 by the Trust, resulting in these proceedings.

8.    The substantive hearing took place between 7 - 13 March 2023, at which the Registrant was neither present nor represented. The substantive hearing panel found the majority of the facts of the Allegation proved, as indicated above.

9.    The panel found that the proven facts constituted misconduct and that the Registrant’s fitness to practise was thereby impaired in respect of both the personal and public components. The Panel, however, considered the misconduct to be remediable.

10.    The panel imposed a Suspension Order on the Registrant for a period of 12 months with a number of recommendations as to how he might address the findings of impairment of fitness to practise prior to the review.

11.    At the first review of the substantive order on 3 April 2024, the panel found that the Registrant’s fitness to practise remained impaired in respect of both personal and public components and imposed a further suspension of his registration for a period of 12 months.

12.    At the second review of the substantive order which concluded on 2 April 2025, the panel found that the Registrant’s fitness to practise remained impaired in respect of both personal and public components. The panel noted the Registrant’s improved insight and that he had taken steps towards addressing the concerns identified at the previous hearings. However, his insight was not yet fully developed; in particular his oral evidence did not fully satisfy the panel in relation to the impact of his actions on the profession. The panel also noted that although the Registrant had undertaken CPD, he had not completed specific courses aimed at fully addressing the concerns identified in the earlier proceedings. The panel considered that a Conditions of Practice Order was appropriate and proportionate, as the identified deficiencies were remediable, the Registrant had demonstrated a commitment to return to safe practice, and workable, measurable conditions could be put in place to protect the public.

13.    The panel imposed a Conditions of Practice Order for a period of 12 months in the following terms:

1)    You must confine your professional practice to working at the Beacon Therapy and/or Mind and Sole.

2)    You must maintain a record of every case where you have undertaken psychology services with clients on a paid or voluntary basis and you must:

a)    provide a copy of these records to the HCPC on a monthly basis, the first report to be provided within a month of the Operative Date, or confirm that there have been no such cases during that period; and

b)    make those records available for inspection at all reasonable times by any person authorised to act on behalf of the HCPC

c)    ensure that the records comply with the following requirements:

i.    the records provide the dates of appointments made and when those clients were seen
ii.    the records provide any details of any cancelled or rearranged appointments and the reasons for cancellation or rearrangement
iii.    the records provide feedback from your supervisor on the quality, nature, appropriateness and/or standard of your performance; and
iv.    the records are signed by your supervisor to confirm that they are accurate for each individual entry before submission to the HCPC.

3)    You must place yourself and remain under the indirect supervision of a Counselling or Clinical Psychologist registered by the HCPC and supply details of your supervisor to the HCPC within 2 weeks of the Operative Date and/or within 2 weeks of changing your supervisor. You must attend upon that supervisor as required with a minimum frequency of every 2 weeks and follow their advice and recommendations.

4)    A supervision contract should be created between yourself and your Counselling or Clinical Psychologist supervisor. This contract should include:

a)    Provision for a review of all clinical work, every 2 weeks, including record keeping, time management and cancelled or non-attended sessions.

5)    You must allow your supervisor to provide information to the HCPC about your progress under the contract.

6)    You must inform the HCPC within seven days of becoming aware of:

a)    any patient safety incident you are involved in;
b)    any investigation started against you; and
c)    any disciplinary proceedings taken against you.

7)    You must inform the following parties that your registration is subject to these conditions:

a)    Any supervisor required by these conditions;
b)    Any patients or service users under your care.

8)    You must allow the HCPC to share, as necessary, details about your performance, compliance with, and/or progress under these conditions with:

a)    any organisation or person employing or contracting with you to undertake paid and/or voluntary professional work.

14.    The panel expressed the view that a future panel was likely to be assisted by the following:

•    the Registrant’s attendance and continued future engagement with the review process;

•    the Registrant’s attendance and continued future engagement with the review process;

•    evidence of relevant ongoing and continuous professional development (CPD);

•    an updated reflection in relation to record keeping and managing his caseload, detailing what changes the Registrant has made or will make in the future; and

•    a report from the Registrant’s supervisor(s) in respect of record keeping, satisfactory time management and his progress in respect of meeting clients at the agreed time. The report should also include an analysis of any cancelled or non-attended sessions.

Today’s review hearing:

15.    The Panel was provided by the HCPC with a hearing bundle which included the panel decisions at the substantive hearing and subsequent substantive order reviews. It also included documents provided by the Registrant, namely:

•    client records and monthly appointment logs from March 2025 to date;

•    favourable comments by the Registrant’s supervisor on those logs;

•    a certificate of the Registrant’s attendance at a 5-day skills training in Enhanced DBT Skills for Autistic Clients;

•    a certificate of attendance at a workshop in Effective Formulation Planning for Psychotherapists;

•    a certificate of completion of a learning module in Understanding Stress and Anxiety in Autism;

•    a CPD certificate in Principles of Case-Load Management for Psychotherapists;

•    a reflective statement as to his past failings and their impact; and

•    a letter dated 13 March 2026 from Dr Laws, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, who has been reviewing the Registrant’s records for the past 12 months. She confirms that his notes have been comprehensive and of a high standard and that he has coped effectively with time management. Dr Laws also commented that the Registrant had adjusted appropriately to difficulties in his personal circumstances and not allowed these to compromise his care of patients. In conclusion, she stated that she has no concerns about the Registrant’s fitness to practise.

Submissions on behalf of the HCPC

16.    Ms Sampson acknowledged that the Registrant had fully complied with the Conditions of Practice Order and had comprehensively followed the recommendations of the panel at the last review. Ms Sampson submitted that the HCPC is neutral as to whether the Registrant’s fitness to practise is currently impaired. She invited the Panel to consider whether there was anything further that the Registrant could reasonably do to satisfy a panel that his fitness to practise is no longer impaired.

17.    The Registrant relied on the documentary evidence referred to above and made no further submissions. 

Decision:

18.    The Panel took into account the HCPTS Practice Notes “Review of Article 30 Orders” and “Fitness to Practise Impairment” and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor.

19.    The Panel first considered whether the Registrant’s fitness to practise remains impaired by reason of the allegations found proved at the substantive hearing.

20.    The Panel had regard to the decision of the High Court in Abrahaem v GMC [2008] EWHC 183 [Admin] where it was stated that in practical terms there is a “persuasive burden” on the Registrant to demonstrate at a review hearing that he has fully acknowledged the deficiencies which led to the original findings and has addressed his impairment sufficiently “through insight, application, education, supervision or other achievement”.

21.    The Registrant had provided extensive documentary evidence demonstrating his compliance with the Conditions of Practice Order and the HCPC had no concerns in this respect. 

22.    In particular, the Registrant had provided a supervision contract, with Dr Laws, an HCPC registered Consultant Clinical Psychologist; monthly client appointment records signed off by Dr Laws; evidence of relevant CPD; a reflective statement, and a Supervisor’s Report, all of which demonstrated meaningful engagement with the conditions imposed.

23.    With regard to the panel’s recommendations at the last review:

•    the Registrant’s had engaged consistently with the HCPC since the previous review and attended today’s hearing;

•    the Registrant has undertaken further training, including Effective Formulation Planning for Psychotherapists and Principles of Caseload Management for Psychotherapists. The CPD undertaken by the Registrant included aspects of clinical recording and the organisation of patient care;

•    the Registrant had provided a detailed reflective statement, which addressed his past failings, their impact on patients and the importance of maintaining public confidence and professional standards. He set out the steps he has taken to remediate his practice including sustained engagement in supervision, targeted CPD, and implementation of strategies to improve record-keeping, time management and caseload oversight;

•    his statement highlighted consistent behavioural change and application in practice, including proactive management of stress, transparency in communication, and responsible decision making, all of which addressed the concerns identified by the previous panel;

•    a detailed report had been provided by the Registrant’s supervisor, Dr Laws. She confirmed that she had reviewed the Registrant’s clinical records monthly, alongside fortnightly supervision sessions discussing the purpose of record keeping and the opportunities it provided for reflecting on and reviewing clinical work. The Registrant had responded by developing comprehensive written notes to a high standard;

•    in relation to time management, Dr Laws noted that the Registrant had attended all sessions on time, including community-based work, and had demonstrated effective organisation of his workload and other demands on his time;

•    the report also highlighted the Registrant’s proactive and considered approach to managing his well-being alongside his professional duties; and

•    overall, Dr Laws concluded that the Registrant had demonstrated insight, improved reflective capacity and effective self-regulation and she confirmed that she had no concerns regarding the Registrant’s fitness to practise. 

24.    The Panel concluded that the Registrant had complied with all aspects of the 12-month Conditions of Practice Order and had provided substantial documentary evidence, including a detailed reflective statement, evidence of relevant CPD, monthly audited clinical records and a comprehensive supervisor’s report from Dr Laws, demonstrating sustained remediation, insight into past failings, and consistent behavioural change in practice.

25.    In light of this evidence, the Panel was satisfied that the Registrant had fully discharged the persuasive burden to demonstrate that his fitness to practise is no longer impaired with regard to the personal component and that the likelihood of repetition was minimal. With regard to the public component of impairment, the Panel was satisfied that there was no public interest in a finding of current impairment and that that it was in the public interest that the Registrant should return to practise as a Practitioner Psychologist without restriction.

26.    The current Conditions of Practice Order would therefore be allowed to lapse on its expiry without further order.

The Conditions of Practice Order be allowed to lapse on its expiry.

No notes available

History of Hearings for Darren Admanson