Nurse working with mentally ill after misconduct and suspension

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This was published 12 years ago

Nurse working with mentally ill after misconduct and suspension

By Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker

A PSYCHIATRIC nurse who stalked and harassed a female patient has been employed by Southern Health to work again with mentally ill patients.

Stephen Henry Wright was given a six-year ban from working as a psychiatric nurse in 2003 by the Nurses Board of Victoria after it reviewed phone messages and a letter that revealed his verbal and emotional abuse of one of his patients between 1999 and 2002.

Tape recorded phone messages revealed a psychiatric nurse was harassing a female patient.

Tape recorded phone messages revealed a psychiatric nurse was harassing a female patient.

Other evidence revealed he attempted to get the female patient to pay him compensation and cover up their relationship.

According to transcripts of a hearing in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, the Nurses Board could not corroborate ''highly credible'' allegations he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with his female patient. But it concluded Mr Wright had "engaged in unprofessional conduct of a serious nature".

The Nurses Board panel said it was "disturbed that someone with Mr Wright's experience should demonstrate so little understanding of professional boundaries … the communications [between him and his patient] indicate an intense emotional relationship that was entirely inappropriate and probably damaging between a psychiatric nurse and his current or former patient".

Mr Wright appealed his punishment at VCAT in late 2003 and had his six-year psychiatric nursing ban reduced to a three-month suspension followed by a year of supervision, training and counselling.

In reducing Mr Wright's punishment, VCAT agreed the nurse had "demonstrated unprofessional conduct of a serious nature in his management and personal relationship" with his female patient.

But it also found the Nurses Board had not taken into account several factors, including evidence showing the female patient had hounded Mr Wright and that he was regarded by some colleagues as a highly skilled psychiatric nurse.

The Nurses Board decided not to challenge the VCAT finding, based on legal advice that it would be unsuccessful. When asked why it was employing Mr Wright to work with mentally ill patients given his past conduct, a Southern Health spokeswoman told The Age "the issue relates to the employment of a mental health nurse seven years ago. The nurse was registered and qualified to do the work he was employed to do."

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The Age uncovered Mr Wright's case as part of an investigation into how Victoria's health system handles allegations involving the inappropriate treatment of mental health patients by staff.

Among the evidence about Mr Wright's past conduct are transcripts of the messages he sent his female patient between 1999 and 2002.

One states: ''I do phone you back and surprise surprise I guess i'm probably just flattering myself but I hope you realise what a huge mistake losing me out of your life is.''

A second message stated: ''Oh, by the way you're also a liar and unfaithful, very very deceitful, couldn't tell the truth to save yourself, you're a very nasty selfish and vindicative person … look at yourself and you will see exactly that selfish nasty and conceited, you are a disgrace.''

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A third message from Mr Wright said: "If you leave me in a hole like this I have no real choice not something I want to do but you give me no solution and I don't give any credence about anything.

''We need to discuss this, I am tired of being told how evil and nasty I am.''

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