'White knight' mental health nurse struck off

Daniel Hussey's actions amounted to serious misconduct, a panel found

A senior nurse who cuddled an adolescent patient on his lap in A&E and spent time alone with another in their home and bedroom has been struck off.

Daniel Hussey, who worked as a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) nurse in Barnsley, was found to have committed serious misconduct by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The NMC panel heard Mr Hussey was described by colleagues as thinking he was a "white knight" who believed "only I can fix this person" but that his actions had "blurred boundaries, hampered recovery, and damaged family relationships".

Panel chair Anica Alvarez Nishio said a striking off order was "the only sanction which reflects the gravity of the concerns".

The hearing was told concerns about Mr Hussey had been raised within South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as early as 2017 when he suggested to a former patient that they meet for lunch.

Further concerns were then lodged about his behaviour around the patient he visited at home after he accompanied her to hospital for her admission to an inpatients' ward.

The panel heard the ward manager had seen them together the next day and said Mr Hussey, who was the clinical lead for eating disorders in Barnsley CAMHS, had been "within [the patient's] personal space".

Nearly three years after the home visits, which took place in 2018 and 2019, a friend of the patient reported the pair had an "inappropriate relationship".

The Trust said the patient denied this, however, the NMC panel ruled that visiting her home and giving her lifts amounted to misconduct.

The Panel said his actions were "inappropriate as it was not necessary for Mr Hussey to be alone with the patient, nor was it in the care plan to convey unaccompanied service users in his private car".

The panel also found he had committed misconduct by visiting a former patient at home with his daughter to drop off baby clothes.

In its findings, the panel said his behaviour was "potentially intrusive and went beyond normal professional boundaries".

It said cuddling the patient in A&E "did not relate to the clinical care of Patient B and was not appropriate behaviour when interacting with a vulnerable CAMHS patient".

Concluding that only a striking off order was appropriate, the panel noted that Mr Hussey's actions were "especially egregious" as his patients were "highly likely to have some degree of vulnerability".

It found his behaviours had "put both patients and the public at risk of serious harm" and that his conduct was "indicative of a deep-seated attitudinal behaviour which Mr Hussey has normalised over a prolonged period of time".

Mr Hussey, who did not attend the hearing, said in a statement to the panel: "I appreciate that at times my approach may appear to be a little unorthodox, however I have never tried to hide this.

"In fact, I am proud of the fact that I have been able to work with so many young people in a way which helped them feel safe, loved and hopeful of a future."

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said patient safety was its "main priority".

A spokesperson said: "Whenever concerns are raised with us, we investigate thoroughly and take immediate action.

"This includes providing support to anyone who is affected by what has happened."

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