A nurse from an addiction clinic has been suspended for having a sexual relationship with a former patient. She also shared information about other patients with him via WhatsApp. Sexually transgressive and unprofessional, the Regional Disciplinary Tribunal for Healthcare in Den Bosch ruled.
The nurse received a twelve-month suspension from the disciplinary tribunal on Wednesday, three months of which were conditional.
The patient had left the clinic in October 2022. A day later, the woman visited him at his home and they had sex. This also happened in the months that followed and they met each other’s parents, but this was absolutely not allowed. Healthcare providers are not allowed to have a relationship with patients, not even during a ‘cooling-off period’ after the end of treatment. A patient may still be dependent on a practitioner at that time.
During the relationship, the nurse shared that another patient at the clinic had been punished. She also shared with the man that yet another patient felt very lonely. The woman thereby violated her professional secrecy, according to the disciplinary tribunal.
The relationship between the nurse and the patient broke down in February 2023. In August of that year, the relationship came to light and the woman was summarily dismissed by the clinic. The disciplinary tribunal does not report at which institution the woman worked.
The photo accompanying this article is for illustration purposes only. It is not an image of the nurse in question.