Leonajar Bato Pulido

Introduction

Leonajar Bato Pulido is a former ward manager at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney, south London, who was struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in June 2025. The decision, taken at the third review of a suspension originally imposed in 2023, converted that suspension into a striking-off order after a panel found that his fitness to practise as a registered nurse remained impaired. The case concerned WhatsApp messages he sent to two colleagues, referred to in the proceedings as Nurse A and Nurse B, in breach of professional boundaries. A previous panel had ruled that his conduct toward Nurse B was “sexually motivated” — a finding Pulido disputed, describing the messages as “banter”.

Background Information

Pulido worked as a ward manager at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney, in south London. In September and November 2019, while working at the hospital, he contacted two nurses through WhatsApp in ways an NMC panel later found breached professional boundaries. Both nurses had, according to Pulido’s later account, lived in the same accommodation as him. In 2023, a panel found he had breached professional boundaries with both nurses, ruled that his conduct in relation to Nurse B was “sexually motivated”, and placed him under suspension. That suspension then came back before panels for periodic review; by the third review, held in 2025, the questions were whether his fitness to practise remained impaired and what sanction was required.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. The findings against Leonajar Bato Pulido — breaching professional boundaries with two nurses, and conduct toward Nurse B that the original panel ruled was “sexually motivated” — are findings of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, made in a regulatory hearing. They are regulatory findings, not criminal convictions, and no criminal charge arose from the messages. Pulido denied that his conduct was sexually motivated, telling a previous panel hearing that the messages were friendly “banter” and that he had been trying to help the nurses settle in; the panel did not accept that account.

According to the panel’s findings, Pulido first contacted Nurse A through WhatsApp on her personal phone on 13 and 14 September 2019, and then contacted her in a personal capacity between 15 September and 22 November 2019. He was also found to have breached professional boundaries by contacting Nurse B on WhatsApp in a personal capacity between 6 and 22 November 2019. The panel originally ruled that his conduct in relation to this charge was “sexually motivated”.

Messages cited in the proceedings included a text sent to Nurse B dated 11 November 2019, which read: “Hi [Nurse B]. It was nice to catch you in the kitchen. I won’t lie I go there to get a glimpse of you.” Another, sent a few days later on 22 November, read: “You look busy today, its so hard to get you attention, take it easy.” A separate text sent the same day read: “I heard your out tonight. Enjoy central London.”

At a previous panel hearing, Pulido argued that he had been trying to help the nurses settle into their new surroundings, having lived in the same accommodation as them. He said he had never tried to take advantage of them and had instead been having friendly conversations. He claimed he had undertaken two training courses on maintaining professional boundaries while still a nurse, in order to understand how he should have acted, and argued that he had always attempted to maintain professional boundaries with colleagues, describing the messages as “banter”. He told the panel he had learned from the incident and claimed he was fit to practise. The panel did not accept his case.

Public Reaction and Consequences

LBC reported the strike-off on 17 June 2025 under a headline describing the WhatsApp messages to a colleague as “sexually motivated” and noting Pulido’s claim that it was “just banter”. The decisive findings came at the third review of the 2023 suspension, where the panel ruled: “Today’s panel has received no evidence of change in Mr Pulido’s fitness to practise or Mr Pulido’s circumstances.” It continued: “There is no evidence that Mr Pulido has obtained greater insight, has strengthened his practice in any way, or has accepted responsibility for the seriousness of his misconduct. In light of this, this panel determined that Mr Pulido remains likely to repeat matters of the kind found proved.”

The panel added: “The previous reviewing panel had given Mr Pulido a final opportunity to engage and address his misconduct, which he had failed to take.” It concluded: “This panel was mindful of the need to uphold confidence in the regulator and concluded that the only sanction that would adequately protect the public and serve the public interest was a striking-off order.” His suspension was accordingly replaced with a striking-off order, removing him from the register of registered nurses.

Current Status

Pulido remains struck off. LBC’s report of 17 June 2025 still stood, with an update dated 10 February 2026 recording no change to the outcome. As a result of the striking-off order, he can no longer work as a registered nurse in the United Kingdom. The order followed the panel’s conclusion that no lesser sanction would adequately protect the public, and no successful appeal or reinstatement has been documented.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The striking-off order ended Pulido’s nursing career, removing him from the NMC register and, with it, his ward manager post at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. The panel’s findings that he had shown no greater insight, had not strengthened his practice, and had not accepted responsibility for the seriousness of his misconduct were central to its decision to remove him rather than continue the suspension. Because the order rested on the panel’s judgment that he “remains likely to repeat matters of the kind found proved”, his removal from the register is not subject to the fixed term that a suspension carries.