Nurse Struck Off For Attacking Elderly Patient, UK

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 05 Aug 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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A 43 year old registered nurse from Bournemouth, England has been struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register for physically and verbally abusing both patients and colleagues.

Philip Haywood was employed at Poole Hospital in July 2006 when he pushed Patient A, a frail and elderly man, backwards causing him to fall onto his bed. He then restrained him by placing his knee on his chest and his arm across his throat He also used considerable force to break Patient A's intravenous tubing

A hearing into the incident by the independent Conduct and Competence Committee panel for the NMC heard the assault left a laceration to Patient A's right cheek, a red mark to the right hand side of his forehead and a bruised and inflamed right forearm.

At the hearing, the panel also heard that Haywood was verbally abusive to colleagues, swearing about patients on several occasions as well as making inappropriate sexual comments about women.

Commenting on the panel's decision to issue a striking off order, NMC spokesperson Sarah Connolly said:

"The panel found that Haywood's misconduct constitutes a serious departure from the relevant standards set out in the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. He showed a flagrant disregard for the safety, well-being and dignity of vulnerable patients. He has undermined confidence in the profession and is a continuing danger to patients and clients. They consider that confidence in the profession would be undermined if the registrant were not struck off."

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UK regulator for two professions, nursing and midwifery. The primary purpose of the NMC is protection of the public. It does this through maintaining a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses eligible to practice within the UK and by setting standards for their education, training and conduct. Currently the number of registrants exceeds 674,000. The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (The Order), sets out the NMC's role and responsibilities.

Nursing and Midwifery Council