Suzanne Walton

Preliminary Matters

Proceeding in private

1. Ms Welsh made an application for the hearing to be held in private to protect the private life of the Registrant and Service User A (SUA). The Registrant agreed with the request.

2. The HCPTS Practice Note on Conducting Hearings in Private states that as a general rule hearings are to be held in public in accordance with the ‘open justice’ principle. In certain circumstances, if it is in the interests of justice, or for the protection of the private life of the registrant, or the complainant, the public should be excluded form all or part of the hearing.

3. The Panel considered the representations made and determined it was appropriate for the hearing to be heard entirely in private to protect the private life of the Registrant and SUA and to prevent disclosure of anything which may lead to the identification of SUA.

ORDER: The Registrar is directed to annotate the HCPC Register to show that for a period of 9 months from the date that this Order takes effect (‘the Operative Date’), you, Suzanne Walton, must comply with the following conditions of practice:

1. Before undertaking work as a Practitioner Psychologist you must:
A. satisfactorily complete a course on maintaining professional boundaries; and
B. forward evidence of completion to the HCPC.

2. You must place yourself and remain under the supervision of a HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist with at least 10 years post HCPC registration experience and supply details of your supervisor to the HCPC within 14 days of the Operative Date. You must:-
A. attend upon that supervisor initially every 2 weeks for a period of 3 months and thereafter monthly;
B. discuss with them issues around maintaining professional boundaries and any personal circumstances which may impact upon the maintaining of professional boundaries within your employment and follow their advice and recommendations;
C. You must provide a report from your supervisor to the HCPC at least 7 days prior to any review hearing. This report must comment on how you have demonstrated compliance with maintaining professional boundaries and managed any personal circumstances which may have impacted upon boundaries being breached.

3. You must promptly inform the HCPC if you take up any employment.

4. You must promptly inform the HCPC of any disciplinary proceedings taken against you by your employer or by anyone contracting with you to undertake professional work.

5. You must inform the following parties that your registration is subject to these conditions:
A. Any clinical and/or managerial supervisor
B. any organisation or company employing or contracting with you to undertake professional work;
C. any agency you are registered with or apply to be registered with (at the time of application); and
D. any prospective employer (at the time of your application)

6. You must maintain a reflective practice profile detailing how you have maintained professional boundaries, and which should include, where relevant, specific actions you have taken and why. You must provide a copy of that profile to the HCPC on a monthly basis.

The Order imposed today will apply from 18 October 2023.
This Order will be reviewed again before its expiry on 18 July 2024.

History of Hearings for Suzanne Walton