THREE NURSES accused of withholding information from an inquiry into the death of a patient at the Central Mental Hospital in 2001 have been suspended from the register of nurses for a two-month period.
The psychiatric nurses were suspended from the register for two months from September 1st following an inquiry by the fitness to practise committee of An Bord Altranais, the nursing board.
The nursing board's decision in this case, which has just been published, details for the first time in such cases the precise allegations made against individual nurses.
It names the nurses as Joseph Bradley, Laurence Cannon and Thomas Farrell, but does not give their addresses or the hospital they worked in.
The only identifying features given for the nurses is their registration pin numbers which are 60198, 40356 and 61976.
The published decision of the nursing board states they were accused of furnishing statements in relation to the death of a patient on September 12th, 2001, in which they "concealed or withheld or failed to disclose significant facts or information" of which they had knowledge.
They were also accused of hampering or obstructing persons investigating the circumstances involving the death of the patient.
The Irish Timesunderstands this was an investigation into the death of a patient at the Central Mental Hospital.The patient, a British man in his mid-30s, died at the Dundrum hospital on September 12th, 2001, a few hours after an incident in which he was allegedly restrained by staff.
The patient's death was the subject of investigations by the Garda and by an independent team which had been asked to report on the incident by the hospital.
Asked to comment on the case yesterday, Paul Braham, director of nursing at the Central Mental Hospital, said: "We fully complied with the recommendations of the inquiry by An Bord Altranais".
Meanwhile, another nurse, who it is alleged displayed poor clinical skills and failed to respond or act appropriately when a baby's heart rate dropped in a neonatal intensive care unit, has had conditions attached to the retention of her name in the nurse's register following a separate fitness to practise inquiry by the board.
The hospital where nurse Mary Scott (registered pin number 60384) worked is not identified by An Bord Altranais but it says the allegation against her was that she failed to recognise that the baby required suctioning and failed to take any steps to stabilise the baby girl's condition or to seek assistance or to ensure the baby was provided with proper care on June 20th, 2005.
Another nurse, who was the subject of a fitness to practise inquiry by the board, was struck off after several allegations were made against her in relation to her failure to administer certain drugs to hospitalised patients in December 2005, thereby putting them at risk.
Marichu Balmadrid Gasang Flores (registered pin number 85665) was also accused of behaving in an inappropriate manner when communicating with a patient in January 2006 and with failing to adhere to the care plan for a patient in October 2005, as well as failing to listen to this patient when he advised him he did not like cold drinks "and notwithstanding his protestations you continued to administer cold drinks to him".
Another nurse, Joan McNamara (registered pin number 11736), has had conditions attached to the retention of her name on the nurse's register after a fitness to practise committee inquiry heard allegations she administered vaccines to two patients in 2005 which were not prescribed for them.
One was a combined vaccine for diphtheria and tetanus, the other for typhoid. It was also alleged that she told her director of nursing she had "secured backdated prescriptions from a medical consultant friend" to cover their administration.