Cancer nurse bedded three victims' husbands
SHAMED Macmillan nurse Sara Dale cared for cancer-stricken wives - then bedded their husbands after they died.
The attractive divorcee, 39, has been fired by hospital bosses over allegations she had THREE such romances.
And she has been "debadged" by the Macmillan cancer support charity.
Dale, who worked as a community Macmillan nurse for nearly 13 years, met the men through her job at Queen Elizabeth NHS Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk.
Their terminally-ill wives were being treated there.
And following their deaths, she embarked on relationships with the grieving widowers.
She currently lives with Stephen Ellis, 50, whose long-term partner Mel died of cancer last year.
An NHS source said: "Sara was a very popular member of the team at the hospital. When the allegations surfaced people were genuinely shocked.
"She has been off work for some time but her colleagues were only told she had been dismissed a couple of weeks ago.
"It has been kept quite hush-hush although word quickly got round about the allegations against her.
"Macmillan nurses do an amazing job in supporting cancer patients day in day out. And this is a really unfortunate episode."
Dale, who had two children with her ex-husband, was first hauled before hospital bosses last year.
They were alerted when a number of NHS Trust top brass - including the Head of Cancer Services, Director of Nursing and Chief Executive - were tipped off in anonymous letters.
Dale went off sick - and was fired in January following a hearing over her "professional conduct".
Her case is expected to be referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Dale, who is still free to work as a nurse, could be struck off if found guilty of bringing her profession into disrepute.
Her relationships came after her divorce and were not conducted at the same time.
She began one more than a year after her lover's partner died.
She started dating Steve months after Mel passed away - and now lives with him in South Wootton, Norfolk.
No details are known about the third alleged romance.
Speaking to The Sun at her detached home yesterday, she denied the third fling.
She said: "The hospital was told I'd had three relationships with men who had lost their partners to cancer. But I have had two.
"One of them was long-term and we were together for nearly ten years. And the other is the one I am in now, who I love."
She added: "I have never had an affair with a patient's partner." Last night a spokeswoman for the NHS Trust confirmed a nurse had been sacked.
She said: "A Macmillan nurse has been dismissed following an investigation into allegations made regarding her professional conduct.
"A hearing took place under the Trust's disciplinary policy and procedure at which one of the allegations was upheld and she was dismissed with immediate effect.
"The matter will now be referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council's conduct committee.
"As a result of the hearing this individual is no longer a Macmillan nurse or entitled to hold the Macmillan name in her job title."
Steve Richards, Macmillan director for London, East Anglia and the South East, said: "This individual was employed by the Trust as a palliative care nurse in 1998 and Macmillan funded the post until 2000.
"After that date no charity funds were used to pay for the post. We support the Trust's decision and the nurse no longer holds the Macmillan name."
Mr Richards added: "There are over 4,500 Macmillan health professionals in the UK who give much-needed support and care to hundreds of thousands of cancer patients and their families.
"This is an isolated incident and all our nurses are expected to maintain the highest standards of care and professional conduct." There was no mention of the sacking on Dale's Facebook page last night - and she was still listed as working at the hospital.
Under her personal details she has written: "I have worked as a Macmillan Nurse for the last 13 years and love it - except the NHS is a challenge.
"Oh i also have a mad labrador who sheds lots of hair and speaks. I am hoping to start writing as i need a new challenge."
