A mental health nurse has been struck off after falling for a "vulnerable" patient who became the father of her baby.
Susan Woodham was working for Community Integrated Care (CIC) at Gordon House care home in Belmont Grove, Tuebrook, which accommodates around 20 people with "severe and enduring mental health problems".
In 2019, Ms Woodham's regional manager received photographs appearing to show her kissing a patient at the home, and on October 14 that year she was called into a meeting.
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Before even being shown the photographs the nurse admitted she had been having a relationship with a patient, referred to as 'Resident A', and told her boss: "I love him".
Ms Woodham also said she knew the relationship would end her career and told the manager "I don't care".
She was formally sacked the following month.
The case was also referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates the register of nurses permitted to practise in the UK.
The NMC charged her with misconduct for conducting an inappropriate sexual relationship with a patient in her care, and an independent disciplinary panel agreed her fitness to practise was impaired.
Ms Woodham did not dispute the charges and in April last year told the NMC in an email: "As for the situation with me and (the patient) we are still together … we are expecting a baby in September.
"Despite how we met which I know things could have been done differently, but I can't change that."
It was not clear from the ruling whether the couple remain together today.
According to the ruling of the panel, which was published in recent days, the patient arrived at Gordon House from the Broadoak mental health unit, run by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The regional manager of CIC told the NMC: "Although resident A had obvious vulnerabilities in relation to his mental health, he was deemed to have full capacity and seemed like a young man who was able to make informed decisions."
The panel wrote: "The panel considered the inappropriateness of Mrs Woodham’s breach of professional boundaries and engagement in a relationship with a person under her care.
"It took further account of the statement of the Regional Manager of CIC who stated 'during her shifts at Gordon House, Susan would have been responsible for 20 residents ensuring their care plan and treatment plans were followed and making sure they were addressing the resident’s best needs.
"Susan would have been the nurse overseeing Resident A’s care plan whilst she was on shift."
The panel found Ms Woodham had breached a position of trust, and was aware her behaviour was unacceptable.
The members of the panel also referred to research conducted by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) on the effects of sexual misconduct between medics and patients, which included post-traumatic stress disorder, high levels of dependency and failure to access health services when needed.
PSA guidance states: "It is never acceptable to have sex with a patient, and it is up to the professional to make sure this doesn’t happen".
According to the panel: "As a registered nurse caring for Resident A, Mrs Woodham had a clear responsibility to maintain professional boundaries.
"By allowing a sexual relationship to develop, the panel considered Mrs Woodham to have failed to uphold a fundamental tenet of nursing care.
"The panel considered Mrs Woodham to have breached a position of trust as a registered nurse, given that Resident A had been under her care from around September – October 2019.
"Having considered all the facts in this case, and the NMC guidance, the panel determined that Ms Woodham’s breach of professional boundaries was particularly serious."
Paula Dodman, Head of Operations at Community Integrated Care, told the ECHO: "At Community Integrated Care the safety and wellbeing of the people we support is paramount.
"As soon as we became aware of this incident, we took immediate and appropriate action, completing a thorough investigation and making appropriate referrals to the Nursing & Midwifery Council.
"There is limited information we can share, however this colleague no longer works for the charity."
Ms Woodham is now prohibited from practising as a nurse in the UK indefinitely.
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