A nurse who admitted engaging in sexual contact with a vulnerable patient and booking a hotel room for sex on her day off has been suspended. Keary-Erin Carrington, who worked at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, also gave the patient her phone number and told him she loved him.
Misconduct and dishonesty
Ms Carrington admitted a string of allegations, including giving the patient her personal phone number, adding him on social media, engaging in sexual contact on trust premises, and telling the patient she loved him. She later lied about her contact with the patient, telling her employer that he had contacted her on social media and that she had not stayed in touch with him outside work.
The patient, named only as Patient A, was moved to the trust in August 2023 and was set for a long stay. He reported suffering “a lot with self-harm” while on the ward, making him a “particularly vulnerable patient”, a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel heard. The patient “relied on Ms Carrington for social confidence on the ward and for social interaction”.
Incident report and concerns
The nurse gave him her phone number and they exchanged sexual text messages. It was “alleged that further down the line Ms Carrington booked a hotel for them both to engage in sexual intercourse on her day off,” the tribunal heard.
On November 5, 2023, Ms Carrington filed an incident report form with the trust, stating that Patient A had initiated their contact. The panel said it considered this “a serious attempt to mislead her employer and divert responsibility towards Patient A”.
Staff raised concerns when they believed they saw the patient receiving a text from Ms Carrington, and about the amount of time she was spending with the patient. She was “directly questioned” by the trust multiple times and denied anything improper, the panel heard.
Panel ruling and suspension
The panel ruled that Ms Carrington had committed serious misconduct. “The public would be appalled to know that a nurse had engaged in such conduct and such conduct causes serious damage to the reputation of the nursing professions,” the panel said.
“The sexual conduct, both within the clinical environment and away from the trust, was particularly serious.” The panel added: “Sexual misconduct with a vulnerable patient, coupled with repeated dishonesty to an employer, seriously undermined the trust placed in nurses.”
In its decision, the panel imposed an interim suspension order for 18 months, suspending the nurse but giving her time to appeal against the decision. If no appeal is made within 28 days, this will be replaced with a striking off order, meaning Ms Carrington will be removed from the register and barred from working as a nurse.
