Nicolas Forgione: Doctor ends career in disgrace after having sex with patient

Perth resident Nicholas Forgione, 72, was working as a general practitioner from September 2012 to February 2018 when he had a sexual relationship with a long-term patient.

After speaking with Dr. Forgione about her unhappy marriage, he tells the woman that she should break up with her husband.

The woman then played Italian music and asked him to translate it.

He then told the patient to get up on the floor to have sex. We had sex on the consultation table.

The State Administrative Court found that between March 2013 and December 2019, Dr. Forgione exchanged “numerous inappropriate text messages and emails of a sexual and/or inappropriate nature” with the woman. I discovered that

He also regularly offered her money between $50 and $700 to pay for items such as groceries, clothing, airline tickets, concert tickets, and gifts.

“His conduct was found to fall well below the standard reasonably expected of a registered general and specialist practitioner of a similar level of experience to Dr. Forgione,” the court said.

It was also noted that the doctor “maintained” the relationship for five years.

“This was a very serious violation of the professional boundaries that physicians are required to maintain to facilitate patient care and protect both patients and physicians,” the court said.

“The violation is compounded by the fact that Dr. Forgione continued to treat the patient over the course of the relationship.”

Dr Forgione was the former Director of Emergency Services at Princess Margaret Hospital and Medical Administrator at Royal Perth Hospital.

However, in 2019, it emerged that the Australian Medical Board had launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, and he retired in December of that year.

Disciplinary proceedings are still ongoing and a court ruled this week that he should be banned from practicing for four years. He was also ordered to pay $11,000 in costs.

The court noted that Dr. Forgione was in “significant distress” at the time due to his mother’s illness and other family problems.

“(He believes) that significant personal stressors he was experiencing at the time contributed to his misjudgment in initiating the sexual relationship,” the court said.

Dr. Forgione had no intention of returning to the clinic due to his ill health and had shown remorse, it was acknowledged that he was unlikely to repeat such an act.

“It is not appropriate for a physician to exploit the power imbalance that exists in the patient-physician relationship to sexually exploit a patient,” the court said.

“Sexual misconduct of the kind involving Dr. Forgione could seriously undermine public trust in the profession and the ability of its members to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with patients.”