Five-year caution for health director

A SENIOR health boss has been issued with a caution after wrongly accusing a nurse of abusing a patient.

Ian Hancock, director of psychology services at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, has been found guilty of misconduct by the Health Professions Council (HPC) over his assessment of the male health worker but has remained in his position.

The consultant psychologist “reached extreme conclusions without clinical justification” in his report on the unnamed nurse.

The claims were never proven and Mr Hancock was given a caution order, which will remain on his registration details for five years.

The HPC said the misconduct was still impairing his fitness to practise. It said he failed to follow accepted methodology in his report and misled health board officials at the nurse’s hearing.

Investigators said his overall assessment included “assumptions based on your opinions without reference to appropriate models of sexual risk underpinned by accepted research”. They said this caused him to reach an “unsound conclusion”.

A health board spokesman said: “NHS Dumfries and Galloway confirms Ian Hancock continues as director of psychology services and general manager for mental health services. HPC has not imposed any restrictions on his practice.”

He refused to say whether the nurse still works for the health board.