Medical practitioner struck off for ‘sexually motivated harassment

A SENIOR medical practitioner at Glangwili Hospital has been struck off for misconduct after a hearing found him guilty of sexually motivated harassment against two female colleagues.

Martin W Hammett, Operating Department Practitioner, did not attend his hearing in Cardiff last month, and has been struck off the HCPC Register after a HCPC Conduct and Competence Committee panel ruled that his conduct had been so serious that no other sanction would be appropriate.

Mr Hammett made ‘inappropriate’ remarks to both women, including suggesting that one of the women, referred to as colleague A, had cut her hair to resemble his wife. He also suggested familiarity with where colleague A lived and parked her car and told her that ‘I think about you at night when I am with my wife’.

Mr Hammett also touched both colleagues inappropriately on a number of occasions, calling Colleague B ‘feisty’ when she told him to stop touching her hair and saying ‘now I am telling you what to do, bend over and take your trousers down’ in May 2012.

The panel heard that the hospital referred Mr Hammett to the HCPC during an investigation into a formal complaint of harassment submitted by Colleague A on December 23, 2013. In her letter, Colleague A made complaints which included inappropriate comments or remarks and inappropriate touching. This led to an investigation which included telephone and face-to-face interviews with Colleague A, two interviews with Mr Hammett and interviews with relevant staff members.

The Panel further heard that the allegations made by Colleague A arose 12 months after Mr Hammett had received formal counselling in relation to an investigation of a similar nature. The previous investigation concerned a complaint made by Colleague B.

Philip Geering, Panel Chair, said: “Mr Hammett’s conduct involved two complainants and took place over a period of time. The conduct was demeaning to both Colleague A and Colleague B and this was exacerbated by Mr Hammett’s more senior status. In addition, the Panel has found that Mr Hammett’s conduct was sexually motivated. Taken overall, his conduct was persistent and sexually predatory.”

The Panel decided that Mr Hammett’s conduct was so serious that no lesser sanction than a striking off order is appropriate. In reaching this decision, the Panel took into account his interests and noted that Mr Hammett has retired and has stated that he has no intention to return to practise as an ODP.

A spokesperson for Hywel Dda UHB said: “Mr Hammett is no longer an employee of the health board.

“We have fair and effective arrangements for dealing with disciplinary issues in order to ensure that expected standards of conduct and behaviour are observed.