Nurse who left killer can keep job

A nurse who left a convicted killer to wander the streets of West Bromwich unsupervised while he went for lunch has been allowed to keep his job.

Mental health nurse Michael Bundor, aged 50, told a misconduct hearing he was "very hungry" because he had missed lunch, so he left the unnamed patient, referred to as Patient A, while he headed into the town centre.

The patient, described as a "psychopath", had been detained under the Mental Health Act for killing a family member, 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.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel told the nurse from Birmingham he could keep his job on the condition that he re-trained, following a two-day hearing in London which finished yesterday.

On January 18, 2006 he had been asked to supervise the patient while he took part in gardening activities at the Beeches Enterprise Centre. But Bundor left the killer unaccompanied between 2.45pm and 4.25pm while he headed to the town centre for lunch.

The patient, who was described as posing a "very real risk to the public, particularly females" did not harm anyone and returned to the Gerry Simon Clinic.

Bundor admitted leaving the patient without supervision, failing to escort the patient, exposing members of the public to unsupervised contact with the patient and taking an overly long lunch break. He told the panel it would not happen again.

"I had not had a break for seven hours," he said. "I was very hungry."

NMC panel chairman Simon Evans said the incident was too serious not to take action.

"We accept the nurse has taken responsibility for his actions and he has expressed remorse and demonstrated a desire to re-train," he said.

"He is a caring nurse with an unblemished record up until now.

"We find therefore find a conditions of practice order for a period of one year is appropriate in the public interest and in the best interest of the nurse. He is required to undertake accredited risk assessment training and must provide evidence of having done this."

Bundor is still working at the Gerry Simon Clinic.