Nurse struck off for failings
A district nurse who put elderly patients at risk and tied a man's bandages so tight he had to cut them has been struck off the nursing register.
A district nurse who put elderly patients at risk and tied a man's bandages so tight he had to cut them has been struck off the nursing register.
Joan Fellows, of Walsall, showed a "disregard for patient safety" while in charge of the Whiteheath Clinic in Oldbury, the Nursing and Midwifery Council ruled yesterday. Chairman Patrick Kelly said public confidence in nursing would be undermined if she continued to work.
He said: "Nurse Fellows' misconduct, particularly in relation to the administration of controlled drugs and record keeping, created a potential for harm to patients."
The 60-year-old, of Little Gorway, Highgate, did not attend the hearing in London, where she faced a string of misconduct charges, claiming she was too emotionally drained.
She said it had been a difficult time, not just for her but also her husband, children and father.
Mrs Fellows worked at the clinic between October 2003 and late 2004 when a disgruntled colleague blew the whistle on her manager's failings.
Nurse Lorraine Payne told the panel she was the only qualified member of staff on duty most of the time, patients' details weren't kept properly, team meetings and daily handovers failed to take place, while Mrs Fellows could often not be found when urgent calls from patients requiring home visits were phoned in to the clinic. The panel proved most of the allegations against Mrs Fellows including filling out drugs forms with patients without double-checking details with their doctor, not taking patients' blood regularly, a lack of knowledge about applying compression bandages, failing to assist staff with their training and failure to maintain sufficient records.
Eva Piffaretti, for the NMC, told the hearing Mrs Fellows' misconduct was completely inappropriate for a district nurse.
He said: "This case is hallmarked by a lack of the registrant's interest into her conduct. She has sought to blame systems and blame others throughout, what she hasn't done is accept her own professional responsibility."
The panel decided to strike Mrs Fellows off the nursing register. Chairman Patrick Kelly said: "In relation to compression bandages, there was harm to Patient C. There has been no admission of the facts and no evidence of insight into her failings."