Nurse found guilty of poor professional performance over care of woman (86)

A nurse facing allegations over the care of an 86-year-old nursing home resident was Friday found guilty of poor professional performance on four counts at a disciplinary inquiry.

It was found that Nurse Allan Lasam Sanchez failed to provide adequate care to an elderly mother, referred to as Ms C throughout the hearing, after she suffered a fall.

Ms C, who suffers from dementia, was a resident at the Carysfort Nursing Home in Dublin when she fell on the night of July 7th 2013.

Expert witness Catherine Dunleavy said she believed Mr Sanchez “didn’t carry out a basic assessment that a nurse would carry out”.

Ms Dunleavy, a registered nurse and expert in the nursing home sector, said Mr Sanchez seemingly failed to re-examine Patient C throughout the night after her fall, and did not combine his basic assessment of her with her medical history of fractures, osteoporosis, dementia and depression.

“He didn’t realise the gravity of the situation post-fall,” she said.

Previously, Ms Dunleavy told the inquiry she believed that Mr Sanchez didn’t pick up on what was happening for Ms C that night in part because he had so many patients to look after.

At the time, just one nurse would be on duty during a night shift, attending up to 52 residents.

“One nurse for 52 residents is not enough to safeguard residents’ needs,” Ms Dunleavy told the inquiry at the time.

On the morning of July 8th 2013, Patient C was taken to hospital, where it was discovered she had a fractured hip. She has suffered increased mobility issues since that time.

The inquiry, which took place at the Nursing Board’s headquarters in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, found that Mr Sanchez failed to adequately examine the patient after she fell, and failed to adequately document care that was provided to her.

Sanctions will be determined at a later date.