On October 30, 2023, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) referred a matter involving Sudeep Uday Deshpande to the Discipline Committee for a hearing.
The hearing took place on August 14, 2024. This matter was resolved by way of an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Penalty.
Finding
The panel of the Discipline Committee issued a decision on the finding on August 14, 2024, on the penalty on August 14, 2024, and on costs on August 14, 2024.
After having considered all of the evidence, the panel found Sudeep Uday Deshpande to have committed the following acts of professional misconduct:
- paragraph 1 (failing to maintain the standards of practice of the profession); and
- paragraph 18 (engaging in conduct or performing an act relevant to the practice of the profession that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional).
Penalty
The panel ordered the following penalty, Sudeep Uday Deshpande will:
- Receive a reprimand at the conclusion of the hearing (delivered on August 14, 2024)
- Serve a six-month suspension (to be served in two, three-month blocks)
- Review a list Standards of Practice for the Profession and Supportive Resources
- Successful4ly complete the Professional Boundaries PB 24 program offered through PBI Education
- Participate in Practice Enhancement Coaching
- Not be eligible to supervise physiotherapy students, Physiotherapy Assistant (“PTA”) students, or registrants of the College who hold a provisional practice certificate of registration while participating in the practice enhancement coaching
While Sudeep Uday Deshpande is serving the suspension, they:
- Cannot use the title Physiotherapist, PT or any abbreviation there of
- Cannot use their name, PT title and/or registration number cannot be use for billing purposes
- Can only practice as a physiotherapist assistant (“PTA”) if certain requirements are met
The panel also ordered Sudeep Uday Deshpande to pay costs to the College in the amount of $7,000 to offset some of the costs associated with investigating and prosecuting this case.
As a part of the penalty, the Committee also issued a reprimand which read as follows:
Mr. Deshpande, the panel finds that your behaviour constitutes serious misconduct and showed a lack of insight into professional standards and ethical practice, specifically as it relates to informed consent and appreciation of patient safety.
As a healthcare professional, you see clients daily seeking your help. Your treatment methods, and a lack of communication on the other hand, caused harm and lacked sensitivity with regard to the patient’s dignity and feeling of safety.
Your behaviour with the patient in question would not only be considered dishonourable, disgraceful and unprofessional, but it undermines the profession as a whole.
While we appreciate the fact that you have acknowledged your professional misconduct, your actions on the whole were completely unacceptable, and it is in the panel’s hope that you will follow through with the recommended remediation and return to practice with an understanding of your obligations as a registered healthcare professional. We do not expect to see you in front of a discipline panel in the future.
You can read the full decision of the Discipline Committee of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario at: www.canlii.ca