A MENTAL health nurse who had sex with a vulnerable former patient two weeks after she was discharged from hospital was struck off yesterday.

Patrick Turpin, 32, who worked at Orchard Lodge in Banbury, met the depressed psychotic up to twice a week after bumping into her at a train station.

Their month-long fling only ended after rumours about the affair spread round his work colleagues.

Andy Cashmore, Turpin's ward manager, told the Nursing and Midwifery Council how Patient A first ended up as an in-patient in September 2003.

He said: "She suffered from severe depression with psychotic symptoms and was a self-harmer.

"She was low in moods and had a long history of overdosing.

"For several weeks, she was under very close observation."

But because of a shortage of beds, the woman was discharged the following April and she was regularly visited by psychiatric workers at Oxfordshire Mental Healthcare NHS Trust.

But two weeks later Patient A bumped into Turpin, her former nurse, at her local train station.

Graham Miles, for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, explained: "They started chatting and she invited him for coffee.

"Turpin said he did not feel there was any harm professionally since she had been discharged."

The brief relationship lasted for a month and the pair saw each other about twice a week.

But word had got back to the ward and by mid-June, serious enough concerns had been raised to warrant an internal investigation.

Mr Cashmore said he rang Turpin at home and asked if the rumours were true.

"He did not deny it," said Mr Cashmore. "The response was: ''Oh, OK.'' "His response was a straightforward yes. I bluntly asked him if it was a sexual relationship and he said yes it was.

"It was clear to all staff of what the boundaries were. It's the mainstay of the work we do and it's very important to maintain a clear professional boundary between staff and patients.

"Turpin said that he did not see there was anything wrong with having a relationship.

"His rationale was that because she had been discharged from hospital, she was no longer a patient to him.

Turpin, who did not attend the hearing in central London, was sacked from work and admitted engaging in a sexual relationship with the woman but denied misconduct.

The NMC's conduct committee found him guilty of misconduct and decided to strike him off the register.

Chairman Moi Ali said: "Relationships with vulnerable clients are never acceptable.

"Patient A was clearly a vulnerable patient with a history of serious mental health issues and self-harm.

"Turpin's sexual relationship with her was entirely inappropriate and was a clear case of misconduct."