Nursing And Midwifery Council v Quinn

1. HIS HONOUR JUDGE THORNTON: In this case, the Nursing and Midwifery Council v Brendan Patrick Quinn, CO/4497/2014, an application to extend an interim order is made. The period for which the extension is sought is from the date from which the present conditions of practise order was due to expire on 17 October until 16 February 2015.

2. This is a case where there has been a long, and it would seem regrettably long, history between the date of certainly the first incident about which complaint is made, which occurred as long ago as 7 February 2010, and today. There are some periods where, no doubt, an explanation that is wholly satisfactory is available.

3. The registrant in this case has been before the magistrates, but his plea of guilty was dealt with by the magistrates in November 2010. There have been further procedural difficulties, I understand a stay application and other applications, but it may well be that those procedural difficulties were themselves the result of earlier delays.

4. However, the situation now is that the hearing has been fixed over eleven working days in three tranches, two in October, four in November and five in December. Since the hearing is now almost upon us and the extension that is sought is a period up to 16 February 2015, I will grant the extension.

5. I would like to make it clear that if that extension turns out to be insufficient, a full explanation will be needed to persuade this court that the conditions of practise order should be further extended.