Jason Heddington
Introduction
Jason Heddington is a former NHS physiotherapist who was struck off by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) in September 2026 after a panel found he had sent sexually explicit messages to a colleague, identified in proceedings as Colleague A, on a series of dates in October 2024. The panel found every particular of the allegation proved, including that the messages were sexual in nature and sexually motivated, and rejected his claim that they had been intended for his wife. Heddington had already been dismissed by his employer for gross misconduct, and the panel concluded that striking him off was the only proportionate sanction.
Background Information
Heddington was a registered physiotherapist, registration number PH62797, employed by North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust from October 2016. The panel noted that he had practised for 23 years without complaint and was regarded as a valued clinician. Colleague A was a senior radiographer employed by the same trust, and the two knew each other through work. The panel granted her anonymity, taking into account that complainants in sexual misconduct cases are ordinarily entitled to lifelong anonymity and that publicly naming her could deter other complainants and whistleblowers.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Regulatory finding, not a criminal conviction. The account below is a professional regulator’s determination, not a criminal court’s.
The panel heard that some years earlier, when he was still married to his first wife, Heddington sent Colleague A a Facebook message saying he wanted to be “naked in bed hard up against” her. The pattern resumed in October 2024. On 19 October, after a chance meeting at the hospital, he told her “you’ll have to send me a selfie”. When she replied that she would “rather not take selfies”, he pressed again: “oh come on”. She still refused, and later described his persistence and tone as leaving her feeling bullied.
Between 21 and 29 October 2024 he sent her four sexually explicit messages, set out in Schedule A of the allegation and dated 21, 24, 27 and 29 October, worded in the pattern “Can I lick your [redacted]”, “I want to suck your [redacted]” and “Can I suck your [redacted]?”. On 27 October he also sent four messages asking “what you up to this weekend?” and “what you up too tonight?”, none of which she answered. Several of the messages were deleted after sending; Colleague A screenshotted them before they vanished, and described receiving them as “unnerving, sickening and unwanted”.
She reported the messages to the trust’s Freedom to Speak Up team on 25 October 2024 and reported further messages three days later. On 29 October, at the trust’s direction, she messaged Heddington asking him to stop; he replied “Oh god did it after a few drinks. Really sorry. No of course not”. In the internal investigation he claimed the explicit messages were meant for his wife and had gone to Colleague A in error because he had been drinking and had taken a sleeping tablet. The panel rejected that explanation because it was “inherently unlikely and against the weight of the evidence”: it was not credible that he had mistyped the recipient on four separate dates, the explicit messages he exchanged with his wife were “quite different in terms of tone and content”, and he had been at home with his wife when the “what you up to” messages were sent. He was dismissed by the trust on 10 January 2025 for gross misconduct on the grounds of sexual harassment.
Public Reaction and Consequences
The final hearing ran by video link from 21 to 24 September 2026 and proceeded in Heddington’s absence. He had emailed the HCPC about the stress the proceedings were causing him and his family, declined the offer of someone to accompany him, and said he would not be attending. The panel judged an adjournment futile, noted the allegations were multiple and serious, and heard that he had been unrepresented throughout.
Colleague A gave evidence about the impact on her. She found herself asking “did I wear something, am I being too friendly to people”, said she had “lost herself and gone into herself”, described insecurity and strain on her relationship with her partner, and said she came to dread looking at her phone first thing in the morning because the messages had arrived overnight.
The panel found the messages breached professional boundaries, were sexual in nature and sexually motivated, and that he had used “the shield of friendship” to pursue a sexual relationship at a time when Colleague A was vulnerable. The conduct amounted to misconduct impairing his fitness to practise on both personal and public grounds. Caution orders, conditions and suspension were all rejected, and the panel directed the Registrar to strike him off, stating that “A Striking Off Order is the only sanction that is proportionate to his failings and which reflects the seriousness of the findings of fact”. An 18-month interim suspension order was imposed to cover the appeal period.
Current Status
Heddington is struck off the HCPC Register and may not practise as a physiotherapist. The striking-off order takes effect once the 28-day appeal window closes, with an interim suspension in force for up to 18 months should any appeal be lodged. The panel recorded that he had said in an email that he did not wish to practise as a physiotherapist again, and he deleted his Instagram account after the events. The public record does not indicate that any appeal has been filed.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The findings ended a career of more than two decades. Dismissed by North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust in January 2025 and struck off in September 2026, Heddington cannot work as a registered physiotherapist, and a finding of sexually motivated misconduct involving no meaningful insight will follow him in any future regulated role. The panel accepted his apology but found he had shown only limited insight, and acknowledged the extreme life events he had endured since 2019 while concluding there was still a risk of repetition absent evidence of remediation.