Four nurses censured for inadequate level of patient care

Four nurses have been censured for failing to provide an adequate level of care for patients, while another has been struck off for being an alcoholic.

They were censured by the fitness-to-practise committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland for offences including hitting a patient, handling a patient's money inappropriately, scalding a patient and failing to wash a patient.

Natalie O’Riordan (Landers) had her name erased from the nurses’ register for professional misconduct and unfitness to engage in the practice of nursing by reason of physical or mental disability.

The committee found that between 2004 and 2011 Ms O’Riordan failed to engage with the occupational health department of her hospital in circumstances where she had agreed to ongoing referral and monitoring. She failed to provide urine and blood samples and failed to attend scheduled appointments, it was found.

Absent

On two dates in 2008 and 2010 she failed to turn up when rostered, left work early without notification on a day in 2007 and failed to provide medical certificates when absent for a six-week period in 2011.

The committee, whose decision was confirmed by the High Court last March, ruled that Ms O’Riordan “suffers from an addiction to alcohol”.

Lelia Young was found guilty of professional misconduct and censured after she scalded a resident of a nursing home while trying to disconnect a feeding tube in March 2007. The committee ruled that she failed to provide an adequate level of care; failed to notify a doctor to attend the patient in a timely manner; and failed to notify the resident’s family of any deterioration in her condition.

Aileen Fong Dacalos Sumalinog was censured for inappropriately accepting a €2,500 cheque from “Ms X” in 2010 while employed as a nurse in a care centre.

Inappropriate

She borrowed the money but failed to inform her director of care of the arrangement, it was found. The committee found that she lodged and/or cashed the cheque when she knew this was inappropriate and failed to act in the best interests of Ms X.

Gabrielle Anne Rowley was censured striking a person across the face and pulling her hair in October 2006.

Julia Mary Whyte was censured for failing to care adequately for patients in a hospital in 2011. She inappropriately helped a patient use a hoist with help from another staff member, failed to clean the patient and placed her safety at risk.