We had to cut corners, Stafford Hospital nurse tells hearing
A nurse accused of failing to resuscitate an elderly patient at Stafford Hospital told a misconduct hearing she had to cut corners to provide decent care due to intense pressure on staff.
Evelyn Agbeko said bosses had cut staffing levels back so far she would often work a 15-hour shift without a break.
"I couldn't have a break because I'd have to leave a patient on their own in filth or leave them without having their treatment," she told the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Agbeko, along with colleague Theresia Van Der Knaap, allegedly failed to provide basic life support when they discovered an 81-year-old woman unresponsive.
Agbeko later wrote in her notes that the woman was asleep between 4am and 6am, when she had passed away at about 3am on April 16, 2010.
Giving evidence Agbeko said there was confusion over whether there was a 'do not resuscitate' order in place and she did not know if she should revive the woman.
"That night was the busiest night of all, we couldn't cope," she said.
"The hospital didn't give us the level of care we needed – there would be the same number of staff on a ward where there were just elderly people as there were on our ward which was a gastroenterology ward.
"I sometimes wouldn't have a break in a 15-hour shift because we didn't have the staff – maybe me, an agency nurse and two carers and that was it."
She claimed that recording the dead patient was sleeping was a genuine mistake.
She said: "The patient was dead by 4am so what was I hiding?
"I knew she had died, everyone knew she had died.
"At 6am I saw she was lying down dead so when I noted she was asleep it was just an error. I wasn't trying to portray that the patient was sleeping because everyone knew she had died by 4am.
"It was either do all the paperwork and not give patients the right care or give all the patients care and not do the paperwork.
"At the time we just had to cut corners to give patients the right care – my priority is providing patient care."
Registrar Dr Helen Steed previously appeared at the hearing and defended Agbeko and Van Der Knaap, saying they had acted in the 'frail' patient's best interests.
"I think it was a common sense decision not to resuscitate her because she was elderly and frail," she said.
"Technically it was not the right call but it allowed a quiet death with dignity.
"I would have almost certainly done the same."
Agbeko admits making two entries in the woman's medical notes stating she was asleep at 4am and 6am.
Van Der Knaap admits she failed to make adequate entries in Patient A's medical notes and failed to ensure that the resuscitation team were called to provide adequate basic life support when the woman was found unresponsive.
The pair deny all other allegations against them.
