Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSNurse 'joked about patient affair'
A nurse who was having an affair with a patient joked that she would have to fit him with an oxygen mask while they had sex, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has heard.
The council found Rebecca Bayliss, 29, guilty of conducting a sexual relationship with a patient after she made the remark to work colleagues.
The man, a cystic fibrosis sufferer who was awaiting a heart and lung transplant, had a three-month affair with the nurse after they met at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.
Bayliss boasted of the relationship on Facebook, according to the Daily Mirror, and carried on contacting the man after she was banned from seeing him.
He told the council that he “could have done without the stress”, according to the newspaper.
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Readers' comments (9)
mike | 30-Jul-2010 11:59 am
Oh so in all that time this man never once had the opportunity to say no?
Come on!!!
'Could have done without the stress' my ****!!!!!
I mean seriously, I know this Nurse acted unprofessionally but this guy is taking the **** a bit too isn't he? He was happy enough at the time I'll bet!!!
Can you say looking for a compo payout much?
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Natalie Jewell | 30-Jul-2010 1:43 pm
Regardless of being unprofessional in the first place - why on earth would you advertise it on Facebook? Not that I am doing anything I shouldn't, but if I were I wouldn't make it so easy for people to find out.
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Anonymous | 30-Jul-2010 3:15 pm
What about the man? Is he deemed mentally incompetent to say no? Yes the nurse acted unprofessionally but come on, 3 Months?? Don't tell me he did not enjoy it! He is just after a big fat payout.. that should be allowed...
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sean wood | 30-Jul-2010 4:11 pm
Hmmm I wonder if there would be more sympathy for the patient if it was a male nurse conducting an afair with a female patient ? The default mechanism always seems to opportion blame on the man. I think I may be correct in recalling that the mental health act makes it illegal for a male member of staff to have sex with a female patient but no mention is made of a female member of staff having sex with a male patient. Double standards seem to apply !
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Sandra Wolanski | 30-Jul-2010 5:02 pm
I have not come across the mention of sexual relationships between patient and nurse under the Mental Health Act, maybe I've just overlooked it?! However, the NMC clearly states that as a nurse "you must establish and actively maintain clear sexual bondaries at all times with people in your care,their families and carers". This isn't gender specific and so applies to ALL nurses. The nurse in this instance clearly acted unprofessionally, and the fact that this was a female nurse with a male patient makes it no less unprofessional as it would have been if it had been a male nurse and a female patient. As professionals we are ALL duty bound to uphold our profession.
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mike | 30-Jul-2010 7:46 pm
sean wood | 30-Jul-2010 4:11 pm, whilst I agree with you wholeheartedly on the double standards, I am not putting blame on the man, the nurse is the one who acted unprofessionally, fair enough, but my problem with this is that the man is now complaining how much stress it caused him, made him worse, etc, as if he had no say in the matter. (I would be saying the same if it was a woman who said this).
I agree if it was the other way round however and it was a male nurse and female patient, the nurse would be dealt with a lot more strongly.
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Anonymous | 31-Jul-2010 9:01 am
the Nazi regulators (The NMC) sticking there nose in where its not wanted
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Anonymous | 3-Aug-2010 3:02 pm
I can't see what the problem is. If nurses, male or female, wish to be seen as professionals they should act accordingly.
Why did this nurse publicise the affair on facebook?
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Anonymous | 27-Aug-2010 11:07 pm
o why dont people be more concerned about the real issues going on in the world, just discipline the nurse and have done with it. Dont give no pay out, they were both consenting adults and just because he had cystic fibrosis, does not mean he is not of sound mind.
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