NHS trust declined to refer nurse over sex assault claim

A senior nurse was struck off over allegations of sexual assault and harassment, after a colleague reported him to a regulator when a hospital refused to refer her case.

- REBECCA THOMAS

The colleague, also an NHS nurse, first raised a complaint against Niyi Okegbola with managers at South London and Maudsley NHS Hospital four years ago, alleging he sexually assaulted her on trust premises.

But after an 18-month investigation, the colleague, Holly*, was told the case against Mr Okegbola “did not meet the threshold”, and he would be returning to work.

She then referred the matter to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which struck off Mr Okegbola after finding 35 different allegations proven against him over actions that were “sexually motivated” toward her and four other staff from 2019 to 2022.

The NMC tribunal found it was more likely than not that he had touched or attempted to touch the breasts of two people working at the trust. The panel added he had “breached professional boundaries” on numerous occasions and “repeatedly [harassed] more than one colleague over a prolonged period of time”.

Speaking for the first time since Mr Okegbola was struck off, Holly has accused the trust of having a “culture of acceptance” and failing to protect female staff.

Holly, whose name has been changed, told The Independent:

“There is a complete lack of awareness about these things happening in the NHS. It’s very much hidden under the carpet, I felt like they [the trust] didn’t know how to handle this.

“I thought, if this was happening to our ward, what was happening elsewhere? If this is a highly esteemed trust, what chance have you got with others? It feels like a massive let-down from the trust. As highly esteemed as they say they are.”