Health and Care Professions Council determination — substantive hearing
HCPTS panel strikes off Howard Graham after child grooming convictions
The operating department practitioner was struck off after convictions involving attempted sexual communication with children and misconduct over controlled drugs.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 24 September 2025 · Updated 23 September 2026
Erasure (struck off the register)
Data last checked: 23 September 2026Report a correction
What does “struck off the register” mean?
The regulator directed removal from the register in this decision. The decision explains when the direction takes effect and any appeal provisions. Check the official register for the practitioner's current registration status.
Concerning Howard William Graham, operating department practitioner (Health and Care Professions Council ODP16652).
Decision date: 24 September 2025 · Hearing started 22 September 2025 and ended 24 September 2025
In plain English
The HCPTS panel found that operating department practitioner Howard Graham took controlled drugs home from his hospital and failed to report or return them. It also considered his convictions for attempting sexual communication with children and attempting to meet a boy following grooming. Finding no insight, remorse or remediation and a high risk of repetition, the panel struck him off.
Charges
Mr Graham was alleged to have failed to return controlled-drug ampoules to the hospital cupboard, taken them home and failed to report or return them. He had also been convicted of two offences of attempting sexual communication with a child and one offence of attempting to meet a boy under 16 following grooming.
Findings
The panel proved all particulars, found the controlled-drug failings amounted to misconduct and accepted the three convictions. It found current impairment on personal and public grounds, a high risk of repetition, no meaningful insight, remorse or remediation, and concluded that the serious, sustained and predatory conduct was incompatible with continued registration.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Aggravating factors
The Registrant's conduct in respect of his convictions was predatory in nature, repeated, and motivated by a desire to establish a sexual relationship with underage children; service users were put at risk when the Registrant removed controlled drugs from the Trust and did not follow Trust policies; the Registrant demonstrated no insight, remorse or remediation.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Health and Care Professions Council determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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