A nurse has been struck off for sending inappropriate messages to a former patient he cared for while working at a mental health unit in Dundee.
Gordon Linton added the woman as a friend on Facebook after she had been discharged from the Carseview Centre following a short inpatient stay between March and April 2020.
Linton bombarded the woman with messages, calling her “an absolute babe”, “beautiful” and “adorable”.
He also asked her to “give me a chance” and claimed “I thought we connected”, in an attempt to forge an intimate relationship with her.
Linton continued to send further messages despite being asked to stop.
When an internal probe was launched into his behaviour, Linton sent a threatening email to the investigating officer before later apologising.
In a report published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) last month, the watchdog concluded that Linton’s actions were “sexually motivated” in that they were done “in pursuit of a future sexual relationship”.
‘Then he got creepy’
In submitted evidence, the woman was said to have been “upset and concerned” that Linton would turn up at her home address.
She reportedly said: “The messages started fine, just chit chat and then he got creepy.”
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In conclusion, the NMC ruled that Linton’s fitness to practise was impaired and banned him from working in the industry.
The panel stated: “His actions caused her significant distress and resulted in her losing trust in the mental health profession. This has the potential to impact negatively on her wellbeing and any potential future treatment episodes.”
The woman was said to have been “put at risk and subjected to emotional harm and distress” due to Linton’s misconduct.
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Issuing a striking-off order, the NMC said: “Having regard to the effect of Mr Linton’s actions in bringing the profession into disrepute by adversely affecting the public’s view of how a registered nurse should conduct himself, the panel has concluded that nothing short of this would be sufficient in this case.”
A spokesperson from NHS Tayside said: “This person has not been employed by NHS Tayside since 2021.”
