Keith Roper-Hitches
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Allegation
FTP79215
As a registered Paramedic (PA35154) your fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct. In that you:
1.Practised as a paramedic whilst unregistered between on oraround 8 February 2017 and 17 May 2017;
2. Did not advise your employer in a timely manner, or at all, of the Restraining Order imposed against you by Worcestershire Magistrates’ Court on 11 August 2017;
3. Did not advise the HCPC of your suspension from duties by your employer on or around 22 January 2019;
4. The matter described at particular 1 was misleading and/or dishonest in that you practiced as a paramedic when you were aware that you were unregistered;
5. The matter described at particular 2 was misleading and/or dishonest in that you were aware of your duty to inform you employer of the Restraining Order but did not do so;
6. The matter described at particular 3 was misleading and/or dishonest in that you were aware of your duty to inform the HCPC of your suspension but did not do so.
7. The matters described at particulars 1 to 6 above constitute misconduct.
8. By reason of your misconduct your fitness to practice is impaired.
FTP79042
As a registered Paramedic (PA35154) your fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct and or/lack of competence and/or health. In that you:
1.On or around 18 June 2020 attended a paediatric immediate life support (PILS) course, and you did not demonstrate adequate knowledge and/or skill in relation to a) airway/breathing management; and/or b) patient assessment using the ABCDE approach;
2. On or around 3 July 2020, during a meeting with Colleague C, you:
a) Stood up in an aggressive manner; and/or
b) Moved towards Colleague C in an aggressive manner.
3. Posted offensive and/or inappropriate comments and/or images on social media including:
a) In or around July 2020 and/or on 29 February 2020 and/or on 4 April 2020 your display picture on Twitter stated ‘**** the Police’; and/or
b) On or around 11 July 2017 you posted the following online: "I always had difficulty with the 'non-logical' (my own phrase) attempts of suicide. These people would take a very small dose of medication then phone for an ambulance. Well do you want to die or not? It was usually following an argument with a partner and was mainly, although not exclusively, females...I recall attending a female in her 20s who was a 'non-logical' suicide attempt. She justified calling for an ambulance because she realised that she had booked a holiday with her 'girl-friends' and didn’t want to let them down. Yes, I accept that it was a call for help. But it takes the focus from the real sufferers who need our support. It could have saved a life. It's almost on a par with people who falsely claim rape as this diminished the value of true victims."; and/or
c) On or around 4 April 2020 you posted a picture showing a police uniform alongside a Nazi uniform on your Twitter feed.
4. You have a physical and/or mental health condition as set out in Schedule A.
5. The matters described at particulars 2 and/or 3 above constitute misconduct.
6. The matter described at particular 1 above constitutes misconduct and/or lack of competence.
7. By reason of your misconduct and/or lack of competence/ and or health your fitness to practise is impaired.
Finding
Preliminary Matters
Service
1. The Panel had sight of a service bundle and saw that notice of the hearing as originally scheduled had been sent to the Registrant by letter emailed on 16 July 2024. This stated that the hearing would take place via Microsoft Teams from 18 – 29 November 2024. At 10.42 on 18 November an email was sent informing him that due to panel availability, the hearing dates had been adjusted to 20 – 29 November, not sitting on 28 November. Formal notice of the revised hearing dates was emailed on 19 November 2024. Mr Wigg submitted that as the original notice covered the period of the revised hearing dates, the fact that the start date of the hearing had been moved back did not undo the good service that had been effected on 16 July 2024.
2. The Panel accepted the Legal Assessor’s advice and was aware that in order for service to be effective, in accordance with rules 3 and 6 of the Health and Care Professions Council (Conduct and Competence Committee) (Procedure) Rules 2003 (“the Rules”) the HCPC must send a document setting out the date time and venue of the hearing to the Registrant’s address as it appears on the Register. No less than 28 days’ notice must be given. Service by email is permitted in accordance with the Coronavirus Amendment Rules. The Legal Assessor referred the Panel to the case of The Queen On The Application Of Hill v Institute Of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales [2013] EWCA Civ 555 where the Court of Appeal considered that when dealing with the regulations of professional bodies, every contingency cannot be foreseen and provided for, so the question to ask of any procedure adopted should not be whether it is permitted, but whether it is prohibited, providing that the procedure is fair.
3. The Panel determined that the letter emailed on 16 July 2024 constituted good service, as the requirements of rules 3 and 6 were complied with. The updated notice did not add to the original dates. It followed that the Registrant had received sufficient notice that the hearing was taking place today, and on the remaining days set out in the revised notice sent on 19 November 2024. There was no procedural unfairness to the Registrant in the hearing commencing two days later than originally scheduled. The Panel was satisfied that good service had been effected.
Hearing in private
4. Mr Wigg made an application for the proceedings to be conducted in private in so far as they relate to the health and private life of the Registrant. He noted that the most recent preliminary hearing had been conducted partly in private, but submitted that practically, health and family issues were inseparable from the underlying facts. It may therefore be that the entire hearing should be conducted in private, however that was a matter for the Panel’s discretion. He made this application before applying to proceed in the Registrant’s absence, as he would be referring to the Registrant’s health in submissions on proceeding in absence.
5. The Panel accepted the Legal Assessor’s advice and was aware that there is a balance to be struck between the public interest in hearing matters in public, the ‘open justice’ principle on the one hand, and the Registrant’s right to privacy in respect of his health and private life. The Panel was satisfied that that the Registrant’s right to privacy outweighed the public interest in the circumstances, and went on to consider the feasibility of holding parts of the hearing in private. In the Panel’s view, the Registrant’s health and private life were so intertwined with the facts of the allegations that it would not be possible to separate the two in a meaningful way. If a public version of the hearing and decision were produced, the likelihood was that so much information and evidence would be redacted that the document would be difficult to follow, and would not achieve its aim of providing a comprehensible public record. The Panel therefore determined that the entire hearing would be conducted in private.
Order
ORDER: The Registrar is directed to annotate the Register entry for Mr Keith Roper-Hitches with a Suspension Order for 9 months.
Notes
Right of Appeal:
You may appeal to the appropriate court against the decision of the Panel and the Order it has made against you. In this case the appropriate court is the High Court in England and Wales.
Under Articles 29 and 38 of the Health Professions Order 2001, an appeal must be made to the court not more than 28 days after the date when this notice is served on you. The Order made against you will not take effect until that appeal period has expired or, if you appeal during that period, until that appeal is disposed of or withdrawn.
Hearing History
History of Hearings for Keith Roper-Hitches
| Date | Panel | Hearing type | Outcomes / Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08/01/2025 | Conduct and Competence Committee | Final Hearing | Suspended |
| 20/11/2024 | Conduct and Competence Committee | Final Hearing | Adjourned part heard |