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	Sanctions against those found guilty of misconduct to include ban on practising</p>
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	Health and social care professionals accused of misconduct or poor performance may face a public fitness-to-practise hearing for the first time from today.</p>
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	A State regulator has been given authority to issue sanctions and investigate complaints against a range of registered professionals, including social workers, speech and language therapists, dieticians, radiographers and radiation therapists.</p>
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	Any person can make a complaint to Coru, the regulator for health and social care professionals in Ireland for an event which occurred since December 31st, 2014.</p>
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	Fitness-to-practise hearings will be similar to those held for other professionals such as doctors, pharmacists and nurses and will examine a person&rsquo;s ability to practise both their job and profession. The potential sanctions range from formal censure to prohibiting a registered professional from practising.</p>
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	Other professions</p>
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	A range of other professions are due to become subject to these rules next year, including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, optometrists and dispensing opticians.</p>
<p>
	Ginny Hanrahan, chief executive of Coru, said if a registered professional was unfit to practise, they put the safety of the public at risk. &ldquo;Protecting the public is our primary remit and, while the majority of practitioners operate to the highest standards, we will not hesitate to take action if and when necessary,&rdquo; she said.</p>
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	Under-resourcing</p>
<p>
	The measure may well prove controversial among social workers, for example, who argue in some cases that under- resourcing and heavy caseloads means they are unable to provide a safe service.</p>
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	Ms Hanrahan, however, said professionals who met standards set out in their profession&rsquo;s code of conduct should not have any reason to feel worried.</p>
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	All registered professionals have been issued with these codes and all complaints will be measured against them.</p>
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	Coru was set up in recent years following decades of pledges to promote higher standards by regulating health professionals.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/social-workers-and-therapists-may-face-fitness-to-practise-inquiries-1.2073193">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/social-workers-and-therapists-may-face-fitness-to-practise-inquiries-1.2073193</a></p>
