A nurse neglected a dementia sufferer and described her as "histrionic" after she failed to realise the patient had fractured her hip during a fall. The elderly woman suffered in agony for two days before she was taken to hospital and her injury was discovered.
Tracey Nicholls, 58, of Bridgend, was working as a nurse at Anwen Care Home in Ogmore Vale where the the dementia patient, a great grandmother who had been diagnosed with dementia 10-years-ago, had recently moved into due to increasing frailty.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Tuesday heard the victim suffered a fall on August 24 2021, and hit her arm on a chair. Nicholls didn't witness the fall but attended to the patient, who was described as being in "very real distress".
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But upon examining the victim, the defendant failed to follow the home's injury policy of using a hoist and lifted her manually. It was said she considered the patient to be "dramatic" and "histrionic". But the reality was the elderly woman had suffered a fractured hip bone.
On the morning of August 26, the victim was so distressed the paramedics were called by staff members and a hip fracture was diagnosed. She received surgery to replace her hip bone.
Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "The thought of the pain she suffered in the 36 hours she had not received medical treatment caused not only her agony to her but agony to her family too."
Nicholls, of Jubilee Crescent, Sarn, told police she was under "significant stress" because the care home where she worked was short staffed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and she was the only nurse on duty in charge of 50 patients. She is a qualified mental health nurse of 30 years.
The defendant later pleaded guilty to the willful neglect of a patient. The court heard she was of previous good character and has decided not to return to work as a nurse. Defence barrister Tom Roberts said Nicholls helps to care for her own mother who has dementia and plays an active role in looking after her grandchildren.
Judge Williams said: "There was no deliberation in what you did, the harm you caused was in the delay in (the victim) receiving the treatment she should have."
Nicholls was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 12 months. She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128.
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