A mental health nurse from Somerset started a "damaging" affair with a vulnerable former patient just two weeks after she left his care.

Timothy Hyde, who worked as a community psychiatric nurse at the Wells Community Health Team and Glastonbury Health Centre, was struck off by a disciplinary panel yesterday after admitting starting the "inappropriate" relationship. He was not present at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing in London but admitted the relationship before an earlier panel.

Chairwoman Winsome Levy said Mr Hyde's fitness to practise was impaired by reason of his misconduct. His involvement with the woman caused "actual harm" and was serious enough to merit him being struck off, she said.

Ms Levy said Mr Hyde, 40, was struck off in the interests of patient protection and because he had undermined public confidence in the profession.

Mr Hyde, a mental health nurse since 2001, was said to have conducted a relationship with the woman between April and August 2008 which included a sexual relationship. He first met her in January that year when he carried out an assessment and agreed to provide therapy and counselling to address her emotional problems and self-harming. Soon after Mr Hyde stopped treating the woman they made contact on social website Facebook and later went to a pub and met at the Glastonbury and Summer Solstice festivals. He also watched a video at the woman's house.

Psychiatrist Dr Muriel Churchill, who treated the woman following the relationship with Mr Hyde, said she was vulnerable with a long history of self harm, which was often prompted by the breakdown of relationships.

Asked if socialising with patients was inevitable in a small community such as Wells, Dr Churchill said: "I understand they started chatting on Facebook so he didn't have to go out to meet her. He didn't meet her in the street. He was chatting online to her and they arranged to go for a coffee."

Dr Churchill, who reported the relationship, said Mr Hyde must have known how vulnerable the woman was and she might self harm if it ended.

Liz Forbes, presenting the case for the NMC, read extracts from a letter which Mr Hyde wrote to the NMC in May in which he accepted he had been "grossly unprofessional" and said he had chosen not to practise in the field of mental health in future.

"I deeply regret my actions," he wrote.

He had circled "yes" on a form that asked if he admitted his fitness to practise was impaired.

But Ms Forbes said at a previous disciplinary hearing Mr Hyde said it was "inhuman" that he had been suspended and confirmed he had told the woman words to the effect he did not have room in his life for "someone like her" before blocking her from his Facebook page.

Ms Forbes said the woman told Dr Churchill she felt he had used his professional knowledge of her in choosing his words and the exchange had led her to self harm.

Mr Hyde will be informed of the panel's decision by post and will have 28 days to appeal.

The panel made an 18-month interim order to prevent Mr Hyde from practising during that period and in the event of an appeal.