A senior lecturer in mental health nursing has been barred from the profession after groping a student nurse.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found that Henry Mutasa, then a doctor, groped the breast and backside of a student nurse, referred to during the hearing as Student A.

He also put his arm around the waist of a second student nurse (student B) and put his head on her shoulder.

In another incident, it was also found he bullied a third student nurse (student C) by raising his voice and banging his hands on the table.

He also denied the student’s request to have another member of staff present during a meeting and then refused to let them leave the meeting.

He also disclosed confidential information relating to the student to another student.

The first two incidents happened before 2020 while the bullying offences said to have taken place in May 2023.

The hearing findings document does not say where the incidents took place but they appear to have happened outside of a clinical setting.

During an NMC hearing in December last year, the panel heard how Mr Mutasa was employed as a senior lecturer for Mental Health Nursing on behalf of University College Isle of Man (UCM) .

In a written statement, student A said: ‘He [Mr Mutasa] was standing very close to me. Henry put his arm round my shoulder, from my left side and his hand was resting on my breast.

‘I thought it must have been a mistake as we were in a field full of people. I adjusted my body to remove his hand and I thought that, if he realised he had touched my breast, he would be horrified.

‘I thought he would have removed his hand. However, his hand then slipped down to my bum and he rested his hand on the right side of my bum instead. At that point, I was still thinking that it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t know this man.’

The panel noted that the incident occurred outside any clinical or educational context, while Mr Mutasa denied the touching was intentional.

However, the panel believed student A’s evidence, saying there was no ‘clinical justification’ for his actions.

The panel found his actions were ‘sexually motivated in that he sought sexual gratification’, noting the student had not given consent and there had been no previous relationship to justify his behaviour.

In relation to the incident involving student B, the panel said she gave clear and detailed evidence.

She said: ‘Henry came up behind me and put his arms around my waist and clasped his hands to the front of me and put his head on my shoulder. I thought it was an odd thing to do. I removed his hands and walked off.’

The panel found Mr Mutasa’s actions ‘breached professional boundaries and his position of trust as a senior nurse and lecturer’.

In relation to the bullying charge, student C said his behaviour was ‘intimidating’ and that banging his hands on the desk made her feel ‘extremely uncomfortable’.

When he denied her request to have another staff member present, she began to cry.

In considering whether Mr Mutasa’s fitness to practise is impaired, the panel said: ‘We determined that he failed to uphold the standards and values of the nursing profession, thereby bringing the reputation of the nursing profession into disrepute.’

It also noted that Mr Mutasa was reluctant to accept his failings, making remediation more difficult.

The panel said he [Mr Mutasa] ‘demonstrated limited insight in relation to taking responsibility for his actions’.

In deciding to strike Mr Mutasa off the nursing register, the panel said: ‘The panel accepted that Mr Mutasa’s actions fell so far short of what was expected of him that it could realistically result in patients and service users, their families and the wider public distrusting nurses and, to their detriment, avoiding or refusing care from registered professionals.

‘The panel noted that it could also dissuade students from wanting to study nursing in future, causing a long-term impact on the profession and public.

‘The panel considered that this [striking off] order was necessary to mark the importance of maintaining public confidence in the profession and to send to the public and the profession a clear message about the standard of behaviour required of a registered nurse.’

Mr Mutasa has 28 days to appeal the determination.

Afterwards, a spokeswoman for Manx Care said: ‘We are committed to ensuring that all health and care professionals meet the standards required by their respective regulatory bodies. The organisation fully cooperates with those regulators where concerns are raised or investigations are undertaken.

‘The individual referred to no longer works for Manx Care. In accordance with our policies and our duty of confidentiality, Manx Care does not comment on the circumstances of individual current or former employees.’