Nurse leaves killer to take lunch

A convicted killer was left to walk the streets of West Bromwich while his nurse took an extended lunch break, a misconduct hearing has heard.

The unnamed "psychopath", referred to as Patient A, had been detained under the Mental Health Act while he received treatment at the Gerry Simon Clinic in the town.

The man was allowed weekly visits to the Beeches Enterprise Centre in Beeches Road from 9am to 5pm, on condition he was escorted by a mental health nurse at all times.

On January 18, 2006 he was taken to the centre to work in the gardens, but mental health nurse Michael Bundor, aged 50, left the killer unaccompanied while he headed to the town centre for nearly two hours, it was said.

Mr Salim Hafejee, for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said a healthcare support worker had checked on the patient every 10 minutes before handing over to Bundor at 2pm.

Mr Hafejee, said: "She also told nurse Bundor to check on Patient A every 10 minutes. However, he didn't remain at the centre. Instead, he left to go on a lunch break.

"During his absence, the patient's activities came to an end. And having failed to find his escort back to the clinic, he made his own way there." Mr Hafejee said Bundor returned to the centre but the patient was nowhere to be seen.

Bundor, from Birmingham, has admitted charges of leaving the patient without supervision, failing to escort the patient, exposing members of the public to unsupervised contact with the patientand taking an overly long lunch break.

The hearing continues.