Miss Elizabeth J Hodges

Preliminary Matters

Service of Notice

1. The Panel was satisfied that the Registrant had been properly served with notice of this hearing by email dated 21 September 2022.
Proceeding in the absence of the Registrant
2. Ms Welsh made an application for the hearing to proceed in the absence of the Registrant. Ms Welsh referred the Panel to the email dated 10 October 2022 from the Registrant to the HCPC with regard to this review hearing in which she stated that she would not be attending. Ms Welsh submitted that the Registrant had thereby waived her right to attend this hearing.
3. The Panel took into account the HCPTS Practice Note on “Proceeding in the Absence of the Registrant” and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor. The Panel was mindful that today’s hearing is a mandatory review of a substantive order which should be heard expeditiously and must take place before the current order expires on 17 November 2022. The Panel was satisfied that the Registrant had voluntarily absented herself from today’s hearing and that an adjournment to another date would be unlikely to secure her presence. The Registrant had not applied for an adjournment and the Panel considered that no useful purpose would be served by an adjournment. The Panel determined that it was in the public interest and fair to the Registrant to proceed with the hearing today in her absence.

Proceeding in private

4. Ms Welsh made an application for the entire hearing to be conducted in private as the case concerns the Registrant’s health. The Panel took into account the HCPTS Practice Note on “Conducting Proceedings in Private” and accepted the advice of the Legal Assessor. The Panel granted the application in accordance with Rule 10(1) of the Health and Care Professions Council (Health Committee) Procedure Rules in order to protect the Registrant’s private life.

ORDER
The Registrar is directed to suspend the registration of Miss Elizabeth Hodges for a further period of 6 months on the expiry of the existing order.

The Order imposed today will come into effect on 17 November 2022.
This Order will be reviewed again before its expiry on 17 May 2023.

History of Hearings for Miss Elizabeth J Hodges