A Dublin‑based male physiotherapist lightly patted or spanked a young female patient on the buttock during a consultation, it was alleged at a fitness-to-practise inquiry.
The inquiry was told on Wednesday that the allegations were submitted by Coru, the regulator for health and social care professionals, and relate to a consultation on February 7th, 2023, with a then 21‑year‑old law student.
The patient, whose identity was anonymised as A, alleged that during the consultation the physiotherapist made a number of inappropriate comments, including referring to her as his “girlfriend”, saying he was “so proud of my girlfriend”, and asking her: “When are we going to third base?”
In her evidence, A said this latter comment as a colloquialism for oral sex.
READ MORE
The physiotherapist’s identity has been anonymised to B following a prior ruling of the committee.
A told the inquiry that at the end of the February consultation as she was about to rise from an all‑fours “spiderman” position during an exercise, B patted or spanked her left buttock “in the middle of the cheek” for about one second.
“It was more than a pat, less than a spank. I was really shocked,” she told Neasa Bird, barrister for the registrar.
A also raised concerns about what she described as “a completely excessive, inordinate” amount of touching of her hips, bum and stomach area during that consultation and a previous appointment on January 9th, 2023.
She said she attended nine consultations with B between September 2022 and February 2023 following an acute injury sustained while hiking in Dingle, Co Kerry.
After she contacted the clinic’s clinical director on February 23rd about her concerns, B wrote a “heartfelt” letter apologising for any upset caused.
A made a complaint to Coru in January 2024.
The registrar alleges that the allegations amount to poor professional performance and professional misconduct.
B denies that he inappropriately touched A.
The inquiry resumes on Monday with evidence from the expert witness, a chartered physiotherapist, for the registrar.
