Mr Paul J Halfacre

Preliminary Matters

Service and Proceeding in Absence

1. The Panel has seen the Notice of today’s hearing dated 26 October 2020 which the HCPC sent by email to the Registrant at both his registered email addresses. The Notice of Hearing made clear that this hearing would take place today as a virtual hearing. The Notice informed the Registrant of the time and date of this hearing. The Notice also invited the Registrant to make submissions and to provide any new information as to what may have happened since the last hearing. One of the email messages “bounced back”. The other did not. Notice of this hearing was also sent by post to the Registrant at his registered postal address on 28 October 2020.

2. Having heard Ms Denholm on behalf of the HCPC, and having heard and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor, the Panel was satisfied that good service of the Notice of Hearing has taken place.

3. The Panel considered whether to proceed in the Registrant’s virtual absence and in the absence of any representation from him. It is aware that the discretion to proceed in absence is one which should be exercised with the utmost care and caution. The Panel took account of the HCPTS Practice Note entitled “Proceeding in the Absence of the Registrant”. It heard the submissions by Ms Denholm on behalf of the HCPC. It heard and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor.

4. The Panel determined to proceed in the absence of the Registrant. Its reasons are as follows;

• It is satisfied that there has been good service of the Notice of this Hearing.
• The Registrant has not applied for an adjournment.
• The Registrant did not attend and was not represented at the substantive hearing in May 2018 or at either of the review hearings in May 2019 or in May 2020.
• The Registrant has not engaged with the HCPC as regards this hearing.
• This is a mandatory review and it is in the interests of the Registrant and the public interest that it should proceed. In all the circumstances, it is proper to conclude that the Registrant has voluntarily decided not to engage with these proceedings.

Proceeding in Private

5. Ms Denholm on behalf of the HCPC made an application pursuant to Rule 10(1)(a) of the Health Professions Council (Health Committee) (Procedure) Rules 2003 for the entirety of today’s proceedings to be held in private, on the basis that there would be reference made to the Registrant’s health and those references should be kept out of the public sphere in order to protect the Registrant’s interests.

6. Having heard and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor the Panel agreed that the health matters concerned were inextricably linked to the matters under review and it would not be possible to conduct the hearing partly in private and partly in public. Therefore, the Panel determined that the entire matter should be heard in private.

ORDER: The Registrar is directed to strike the name of Mr Paul J Halfacre from the Register on the date this Order comes into effect.

This is a Substantive Review hearing taking place via video conference on Tuesday 24 November 2020.

History of Hearings for Mr Paul J Halfacre