One of nearly 500 text messages a nurse sent to his patient said: “Slept in your bed yesterday. Still had ur scent in the room.” Enrolled nurse Anthony Elliott was working at the South Coast Private Hospital, in Wollongong in 2014, when he initiated a relationship with a woman being treated for severe mental health issues. At first he talked to her about his family and personal life, but then began sitting on her bed so their bodies were touching. Then he watched her as she slept, kissed her, exchanged sexually explicit text messages, and took her for a drive around a lake to profess his love. All the while, he was telling the woman he had some reluctance about their relationship because it was forbidden. “I am scared someone [will] find out and I’m out [of] a job and registration,” Mr Elliott wrote in a text message. On Friday, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal cancelled Mr Elliott’s nursing registration after the Health Care Complaints Commission applied for disciplinary action. The tribunal noted the woman, who can be identified only as Patient A, was in hospital several times after having a mental breakdown, and had suicidal thoughts, mania and major depression. At one point she was experiencing insomnia and lowered inhibitions. A peer review report before the tribunal said Mr Elliott was aware of the woman’s condition, and his conflicting messages about his feelings were “disturbing”, most likely adding to her confusion, distrust and distress. The tribunal heard that when Patient A made a complaint to the hospital, and was admitted for further treatment, Mr Elliott’s text messages to the woman turned sour. Mr Elliott cannot reapply for a review of the cancellation for three years.
