Mental health nurse struck off for sex with ‘vulnerable’ patient

Larissa Wynn, who was based in Wakefield, was convicted last year of engaging in "penetrative sexual activity” with a man with a mental disorder while she was his carer.

Wynn, a registered nurse since 2013, had been caught after a mobile phone was found in the possession of a patient in 2018. When analysed, a number of “sexually explicit” texts were discovered between the patient and Wynn.

Photos and videos on the phone appeared to show “images of Miss Wynn and Patient A engaging in sexual contact, including sexual intercourse, on more than one occasion".

Following a disciplinary hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in August 2019, Wynn was sacked from the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust on the grounds of gross misconduct.

She was also charged with a criminal offence and jailed for 28 months in June 2021 after pleading guilty.

A transcript of the judge’s sentencing remarks reads: “Given your years of experience as a staff nurse in that environment, you also know full well how vulnerable inpatients are. [Patient A] himself, as I recall, had suffered a traumatic childhood of abuse.

“He had complex mental health issues at the time and therefore he was vulnerable, and you had to recognise that with your experience.”

Now an NMC panel has met to determine whether Wynn should be prevented from working as a nurse in future.

The panel was provided with a Notice of Meeting letter that had been sent to Wynn at HMP/YOI Askham Grange on 27 May 2022.

Its report noted that Wynn had “sought to blame the patient” during the court case and her ability to do her job was found to have been impaired.

It said: “Although no concerns have been raised with respect to Miss Wynn’s clinical practice, Miss Wynn has been convicted of a serious sexual offence involving a vulnerable patient who is known to have a mental disorder.

"Her actions may not have caused physical harm, but emotional and/or psychological harm is likely to have been caused. Miss Wynn agrees that a finding of impairment on the grounds of public protection is necessary and given the lack of remediation, insight and remorse, the risk of repetition remains.

"Miss Wynn’s actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register.”

The report concluded: “The parties agree that a striking off order is the only sanction appropriate in the circumstances. There is a substantial concern that public confidence would be drastically undermined by allowing Miss Wynn to remain on the register.

"As per NMC guidance, striking off is likely to be appropriate when fundamental questions are raised as to a registrant’s professionalism, whether public confidence can be maintained if they are not removed from the register, and whether striking off is the only sanction sufficient to maintain professional standards.”

The panel took the decision to strike Wynn off the nursing register and to impose an interim suspension order of 18 months, to prevent her from practicing until any appeal that she might lodge had been heard.