A chiropractor has been found to have failed ethical standards after having a sexual relationship with a patient, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Rose Wall said in a report.
Wall found the chiropractor was in breach of the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights (the Code) for entering into a sexual relationship with a female patient.
The married woman first went for treatment at the chiropractor in 2016. After four months of treatment, a sexual relationship then developed between them which lasted for two and a half years.
According to the report, the chiropractor continued to treat the woman and members of her family over this period.
"The Chiropractic Board Code of Ethics states that chiropractors have a responsibility to be familiar with the Board’s Code and comply with its standards," the report noted.
"It states that a chiropractor cannot have a sexual relationship with a patient unless that patient is the chiropractor’s spouse or partner."
Click here to read the full report.
Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall believes that the chiropractor's actions means he "failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries and comply with the ethical standards set out in the Chiropractic Board Code of Ethics".
"The maintenance of professional boundaries is an integral part of the provision of health services, and its importance in the provider-consumer relationship cannot be emphasised strongly enough," said Wall.
"I consider that [the chiropractor’s] conduct, specifically his entering into a sexual relationship with his patient, did not comply with his professional and ethical obligations and crossed professional boundaries and ethical standards."
In her conclusion, Wall recommended the chiropractor establish a six-month mentoring and continuing education plan with the New Zealand Chiropractic Board, in relation to its Code of Ethics and with an emphasis on professional boundaries.
She also recommended that the New Zealand Chiropractic Board consider this complaint and whether further action is warranted.
The chiropractor is to be referred to the Director of Proceedings.
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