Mental Health Nurse Struck Off For ‘Inappropriate Relationship’ With Patient
A mental health nurse from Farnborough in Hampshire has been struck off the register after admitting sharing a tent with a vulnerable client. A panel of the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Conduct and Competence Committee yesterday Eric Brian Phillips, who at the time was working for the Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust, guilty of misconduct.
The panel heard that the fifty-four year old ceased to act as the woman’s Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) and transferred her case to a colleague in order that he could accept a ticket to the Glastonbury Festival from her. He then went on to indeed accept the ticket, against the advice of his manager, Joan Underwood.
The panel heard that while at Glastonbury, Phillips shared a tent with the woman, where he slept naked beneath two sleeping bags that had been zipped together, while she remained fully clothed. Phillips admits then asking her to kiss him.
Philips admitted failing to tell his manager of his actions on his return, and failing to inform a social worker who raised concerns about the woman’s mental health, that he had noticed signs of a relapse during the time he spent with her at Glastonbury.
Commenting on the panel’s decision, Polly Kettenacker, spokesperson for the NMC said: “This case demonstrates a clear failure to maintain a relationship with a client aimed only at serving the interests of that client. This is especially grave, given that Mr. Phillips admits to having been aware that the woman was relapsing into mental illness, and that sexual disinhibition was a symptom of her mental illness.
“This sort of behaviour is fundamentally incompatible with being a registered nurse. Given, in addition, Mr. Phillips’ lack of insight into the seriousness of his conduct, the panel felt it had no choice but to strike him off the register”.