Care assistants tell inquiry of nurse asleep while on duty

Three care assistants at a home for the elderly told a disciplinary inquiry on Friday that a nurse with whom they worked would regularly sleep on the job.

One of the care assistants said she did not raise the alarm about this behaviour because she was afraid of the nurse, while another told the nursing board inquiry of threats from the nurse.

It is claimed that nurse Eileen Mary Mulligan Kiernan, while working night shifts at the Maple Court Nursing Home in Castlepollard, Co Westmeath, would routinely sleep for one to three hours, between 2.00am and 5.00am.

It is alleged that, during this time, Ms Mulligan Kiernan would insist that the lights in the staff room were turned off, the refrigerator unplugged and that no laundry be done.

As a result of these alleged resting periods, Nurse Mulligan Kiernan allegedly failed to provide adequate care to the 21 elderly residents, the majority of whom were at least 80 years of age.

Care assistant Ann Daly said she worked one or two night shifts per fortnight with Ms Mulligan Kiernan and that the nurse went to sleep in the staff room on every night she worked with her.

Asked how often Ms Mulligan Kiernan would go to sleep in the staff room, Ms Daly replied: “It would have been every night I worked with her.”

Ms Daly said the nurse would go into the staff room about 1am or 2am, put several chairs together, get a blanket and lie down. Sometimes she would wear an eye mask, said Ms Daly.

Ms Daly said the nurse would set an alarm for 5am or 5.30am and would sometimes say, “half a night’s work for half a night’s pay”.

She said Ms Mulligan Kiernan would often ask her to come into the staff room with her while she slept. Ms Daly, who felt uncomfortable doing this, said she would bring a book with her, although she could not read because the nurse had the lights turned off. Ms Daly would wait until a resident called her by ringing a bell, then leave the room and stay out to attend to residents.

While Ms Mulligan Kiernan was sleeping, Ms Daly said she herself was not able to properly do her rounds – which were usually done every two hours – because she needed another person to help her complete some of the tasks, such as repositioning the residents so they would not develop bed sores.

‘I’m in charge’

However, she did not ask the nurse for assistance “because she was asleep in the staff room and didn’t want to be disturbed”.

Ms Daly said Ms Mulligan Kiernan would tell her to complete the laundry, as well as her night time paperwork by 1am, even though the normal procedure would be to fill it out throughout the night.

Ms Daly said she did not wish to complete her paperwork early, but did not say anything to Ms Mulligan Kiernan because “she was a staff nurse and she’d say, ‘I’m in charge, you have to do what you’re told’ ”.

Ms Daly told the inquiry that, before completing a whistleblower form in May 2013 in relation to Ms Mulligan Kiernan, she never said anything because the nurse used say, “If I go down, you go down”.

Ms Daly added: “I didn’t say anything because I was afraid I’d lose my job.”

Ms. Daly, along with other staff, then attended training on elder abuse, and subsequently thought it wrong to let Ms Mulligan Kiernan sleep at night. The care assistant raised her concerns with manager Caroline Day.

“I have no conspiracy against Mary,” said Ms Daly, referring to the nurse. “It was for the residents I was doing it.”

Ms Daly said that, after she made the complaint, Ms Mulligan Kiernan sent her a text that read: “Why did you tell such lies? I never did anything to you.” The nurse, according to Ms Daly, then sent a second text which read: “I know it was you.”

Another care assistant who worked with Ms Mulligan Kiernan, Mary Dalton, also told the inquiry that the nurse would regularly sleep during her night shift. She said Ms Mulligan Kiernan would often sleep from midnight or 12.30am until 5am or 5.30am.

“I knew she slept,” Ms Dalton told the inquiry, which took place in Blackrock, Co Dublin.

“You don’t come to work to sleep,” said Ms Dalton. But she did not say anything to Ms Mulligan Kiernan because “I was afraid of her”.

A third care assistant, Deirdre Allen, also told the inquiry that Ms Mulligan Kiernan would sleep during the nights they worked together, although Ms Allen said the nurse slept between 2.30am and 5.30am.

Ms Mulligan Kiernan’s alleged failures took place between March 2011 and December 2012. She worked at the Maple Court nursing home from October 2002 until July 2013.

It is claimed that these allegations amount to professional misconduct and poor professional performance.

Ms Mulligan Kiernan, who was not present at the proceedings, denies the allegations.

In a written response regarding the complaint to the nursing board, she said she loved her job and that she was a caring person whom the residents loved.

In another written response, she said, “by no stretch of the imagination are these allegations true”.