Nurse struck off register after professional misconduct

Nursing and Midwifery Board censures nurse for spitting at nursing home resident

A clinical nurse manager has been struck off after failing to ensure the heating system in her workplace was operating.

Bridget Nuala Mary Murphy (pin 31034) was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Nursing and Midwifery Board. Her name was erased from the register of nurses by order of the High Court.

Ms Murphy, a registered nurse employed at an unidentified “service X”, failed to act with due dignity or respect towards five residents in her care on dates between 2009 and 2013, it was found.

She failed to demonstrate appropriate interpersonal and communications skills with seven residents on the same dates, it was also found.

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The board’s fitness to practise committee found she failed to act in the best interests of the residents when she failed to make any adequate arrangements to ensure the heating system was working in November and December 2010.

Other cases

The board also passed decisions on several other cases.

A staff nurse working in a nursing home was censured for spitting at a resident.

Regina Urszula Olszewska (pin 118741), who was found guilty of professional misconduct, also shouted at the patient in an inappropriate manner, the committee found.

Eleanor (Ellie) O’Dwyer (pin 55427), a staff nurse in a hospital, was censured for falling seriously short of the expected standard of nursing practice in relation to a number of incidents in 2010.

It was found that she failed to correct procedures for signing medication, failed to record the clinical observations of some patients, failed to administer medication in a timely fashion, and failed to communicate with colleagues about difficulties she had managing her caseload.

Advised on misconduct

Midwife Meenu Bajaj (pin 115998) was “advised” in relation to her professional misconduct in a hospital in July- August 2008. The committee found her conduct fell seriously short of the standard of conduct expected of a midwife.

In relation to the care of a patient who was experiencing a miscarriage, it was found that Ms Bajaj failed to provide the woman with an opportunity to see or hold the foetus.

She failed to remove the foetus from the amniotic sac and failed to maintain proper midwifery records.

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen

Paul Cullen is Health Editor of The Irish Times