Care Home Nurse Struck Off For Woefully Inadequate Care, UK

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 13 Dec 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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A 59 year old mental health nurse from Shotts, Lanarkshire has been struck off for providing a poor standard of care.

Mr Thomas K S Mcneill was struck off the register by an independent panel of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Conduct and Competence Committee in London on 7 December 2007.

Mr Mcneill was the owner and manager of Rosehall Manor Nursing Home when charged with various counts of failing in his duties to provide an appropriate level of care with regards to Patient A from March 2003 to February 2004.

The independent panel heard evidence to the fact that Mr Mcneill failed to safeguard Patient A's dignity with regards to personal hygiene, continence management and emotional wellbeing. He also failed to keep appropriate records of the care of Patient A and failed to ensure appropriate medical assistance was sought for patient A in a timely manner following his deterioration.

Commenting on the outcome of the hearing, NMC spokesperson Leila Harris said,

"The independent panel reached this decision having heard evidence that proved the charges before it. As the registered nurse in charge and manager of Rosehall Manor Nursing Home, he had a duty to ensure staff were aware of the problems and that they were being addressed, reviewed, monitored and resolved. He failed in these duties and in so doing, a particularly vulnerable patient received a woefully inadequate standard of nursing and care. The independent panel felt that in order to protect the public and maintain public confidence in the profession, it was necessary to strike him off the register."

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 practise within the UK and by setting standards for their education, training and conduct. Currently the number of registrants exceeds 682,000. The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (The Order), sets out the NMC's role and responsibilities.

The independent panel is selected from a pool of individuals appointed by the Appointments Board. They come from a variety of backgrounds and are not NMC Council members, nor do they sit on any committee of the Council.

Nursing and Midwifery Council