Thousands of nurses believe it is justified to break the taboo on having an affair with a patient in their care.
Almost one in 10 nurses think starting a relationship with one of their patients is acceptable while one in six said they knew of a colleague who had a sexual relationship with a patient they were looking after.
The findings, published by the Nursing Times, will add weight to the controversial remarks by Conservative peer Lord Mancroft that nurses are “promiscuous” and “unprofessional”.