A VULNERABLE Hinchingbrooke patient seduced by a male nurse has told The Hunts Post his actions left her feeling “betrayed, violated and suicidal”.

Staff nurse Davide Mangiavillano was struck off at a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council last week.

The panel presiding over the case heard that Mangiavillano, who did not attend the hearing, had been working as a staff nurse in the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) when he met Patient A, a Huntingdonshire resident, in March 2010.

He was charged with “crossing professional boundaries” in relation to Patient A, who had been admitted to hospital after taking an overdose of anti-psychotic medication. All charges were proved in his absence.

Now aged 24, the young woman said: “He was nursing me there. He did an ECG, where he had to put the sticky tabs on my chest, and he said about leaving my phone number. I knew it wasn’t right.”

After she was discharged, Patient A returned to the MAU with a thank you card for Mangiavillano, which included her address and telephone number; a few days later, Mangiavillano turned up at her flat – despite being warned by several senior staff members not to contact her.

She recalled: “Davide told me to stop taking all of my medication because it was poisoning me. I was on two anti-psychotics at the time, Haloperidol and Quetiapine. I’m still on Quetiapine now, along with an anti-depressant, sleeping tablets and tranquillisers.

“I stopped them all for a week after that and was really unwell. I know now that I need my medication to keep me well and alive. He said I needed to let my ‘angels’ guide me instead of taking medication.”

She continued: “When he turned up at my home, he was all dressed up in a shirt and smart shoes, smelling of aftershave.”

Mangiavillano was reported to the NMC by Patient A’s community psychiatric nurse, who is based at the Newtown Centre in Huntingdon.

Patient A, now mother to a one-year-old son, said: “I feel guilty. I didn’t know there would be an investigation. I know he lost his job, because he told me. He went back to Italy.”

She said he “definitely” abused his position of trust and added: “I didn’t really know what was going on… I had attempted suicide and I was a mess. I needed help. I can understand now why there are rules in place, so that nurses don’t have that kind of contact with patients.”

She added: “I’m not trusting of anyone, especially if they are a male professional dealing with me. I’m anxious. I used to be like that before but this has proved me right – that I shouldn’t trust anyone.”

Patient A, who suffers from borderline personality disorder, added: “My son saved me. I have a massive meaning in my life now.

“Part of me feels guilty. I just feel used and scared that he might come and find me. I want people to know that if they feel like someone is behaving wrongly, they should tell someone about it; they will be taken seriously.”

The NMC found that Mangiavillano crossed professional boundaries in relation to Patient A, a vulnerable adult, in that he contacted her by telephone; visited her at her home; attended a concert and pub with her; engaged in sexual relations with her; bought her food and flowers; and sent her texts that were of a personal nature.

The NMC report issued after the hearing stated: “The panel noted the very serious nature of the registrant’s behaviour in entering into a sexual relationship, crossing professional boundaries with a vulnerable adult, in clear breach of the code, NMC’s Clear Sexual Boundaries Advice 2009 and against the specific advice of senior colleagues. The panel finds that the registrant’s behaviour is fundamentally incompatible with remaining on the register. The panel therefore concluded that a striking-off order is the appropriate and proportionate sanction.”