Male Nurse 'Abused' 23 Patient

- 16 July 2008;BBC News

Inadequate management allowed a "predatory" male nurse to manipulate 23 women patients into sexual relationships, an inquiry has found.

David Britten, 54, a former manager at the Peter Dally Clinic in Pimlico, central London, preyed on patients over a 20-year period.

Claims by patients of sexual misconduct emerged after his dismissal from the clinic in 2002 over unrelated issues.

The NHS launched an inquiry in 2006 into how he escaped detection.

'Grooming' patients

The inquiry was originally commissioned by North West London Strategic Health Authority, which is now NHS London.

The investigators blamed poor management, missed opportunities and the reluctance of his victims to come forward as the reasons for Mr Britten "grooming vulnerable patients".

The report described Mr Britten as a "manipulative predator who represented a clear danger to women".

Alison McKenna, who led the inquiry, said: "The effect of David Britten's abuse of these vulnerable women cannot be overestimated.

"David Britten was a specialist in eating disorders and would have known that affected individuals can be very compliant and eager to please.

"He deliberately targeted vulnerable patients, grooming them for his own sexual gratification".

Sarah Harman, the lawyer for some of the victims, said their lives have been "ruined by the way he behaved".

Mr Britten, who is believed to be living in northern France following the allegations, has not faced any criminal charges as the Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence.

'Lessons' learnt

Apologising on behalf of NHS London, chief nurse Trish Morris-Thompson said: "As a nurse and a midwife, I am appalled by David Britten's actions and that they went unchecked for so long.

"He abused not just these women but also his position of professional trust". She added: "This report has lessons for NHS organisations around the country and it is my job to ensure that the lessons are widely disseminated. They will be."

The report said although the NHS took appropriate steps and dismissed Mr Britten, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) was criticised for failing to suspend or strike him off the nursing register until 2004, despite the claims against him since 2002.

The report also raised questions over four other former members of staff, two of whom still work within the NHS.

Professor Morris-Thompson said the NMC was "very unhelpful" during the inquiry and confirmed many notes collected in the 1980s had gone missing.

NHS London said they were seeking legal advice following the report's publication. In 2001, Peter Dally Clinic closed after it was taken over by the Central and North West London Mental Health Trust and sexual allegations against Mr Britten emerged.

A new eating disorder service was opened a year later with new staff.