Doctors and nurses are likely to be banned from dating former patients unless the professional contact with them was minimal, according to new guidelines to regulate sexual behaviour between clinicians and patients.

The proposals, the first of their kind, will affect all healthcare professionals and are expected to go before ministers for approval in June, according to Nursing Standard magazine.

The 22-page report, Clear Sexual Boundaries Between Health Professionals and Patients, was published in draft form last week. It was drawn up by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE), a government body that oversees the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and seven other healthcare regulators.

The guidelines follow a number of high-profile cases in which doctors and other healthcare workers have sexually abused or exploited patients, including the Kerr-Haslam inquiry into the sexual abuse of patients by two psychiatrists in Yorkshire, which reported in July last year .

The guidance lists unacceptable behaviour and states that health professionals must establish and maintain “clear sexual boundaries”. It also states that obtaining a patient’s consent does not justify a sexual relationship. Professionals attracted to patients should seek advice from colleagues and may have to refer the patient to others for treatment, the draft report states.

Sexual activity is defined in the document as words, behaviour or actions towards a patient, family member or carer that might be interpreted as sexually motivated.

The guidance states that cases will be judged “individually”. However, it adds that relationships are unprofessional if the patient is exploited, was vulnerable or the professional relationship was terminated to start a sexual relationship.

The draft was drawn up by a “clear boundaries” project team, run by the CHRE. Members included clinicians, victims of abuse, royal colleges and representatives from healthcare regulatory bodies. The guidance advises doctors and nurses who suspect their colleagues of acting inappropriately to report the matter to their employer and regulatory body.

Chris Barber, a member of the ethics forum of the Royal College of Nursing, welcomed the guidance, but said that more counsellors were needed to support patients.

“What is now needed is specific training in this area so that there are sufficient numbers of specialist staff to support victims of abuse.”

The General Medical Council, which licenses and disciplines doctors, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council already have guidelines in place that demand ethical behaviour from health workers both on and off duty.

An updated code of conduct published by the GMC last October holds doctors to the highest standards of moral behaviour in their private lives, making clear that their right to practise is in jeopardy if they form sexual relationships with former patients or look at pornography.

The code was informed by a series of public meetings around the country to find out what sort of behaviour from doctors was deemed acceptable and what was not.

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