A West Lothian nurse has been suspended following several incidents including wrongly stating that a nursing home patient had been administered medication.
Susan Grant received the 12-month suspension order following a hearing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as it was revealed that during her time as a nurse at Holmesview Nursing Home, Broxburn, she failed in her duties multiple times.
As well as marking on a chart that one patient had received their medication when they had not, Grant also failed to make note of the resident refusing their medication.
On another occasion, Grant failed to ensure that another patient’s fentanyl patch was changed at the correct time, a specific type of medication used to ease pain.
Grant also administered another patient’s fentanyl patch at the wrong time on a separate occasion, as well as failing to ensure that the second member of staff who signed the patch out from the controlled drugs cupboard was present.
The hearing concluded that Grant also failed to administer Diazepam and/or Fluoxetine to another patient. All of the incidents listed during the hearing occurred during a period between February 24, 2017 and May 1, 2018.
The panel stated that during and after the hearing, Grant showed no signs of remorse, insight or acknowledgment in relation to her actions and the impact they could have had on patients, colleagues and the public.
The report said: “The original panel determined that Ms Grant was liable to repeat matters of the kind found proved. Today’s panel has received no new information or communication from Ms Grant that would suggest the risks have been addressed.
“In light of this the panel determined that Ms Grant is still liable to repeat matters of the kind found proved. The panel therefore decided that a finding of continuing impairment is necessary on the grounds of public protection.
“The panel has borne in mind that its primary function is to protect patients and the wider public interest which includes maintaining confidence in the nursing profession and upholding proper standards of conduct and performance. The panel determined that, in this case, a finding of continuing impairment on public interest grounds is also required.”
The striking order is set to come into effect after the termination of Grant’s current suspension on April 9, 2023. The panel concluded by saying they hope that Ms Grant uses the time to work with the NMC or a more serious suspension could be issued.
Randolph Hill, who run Holmesview Nursing Home, said: “Delivering excellent quality of care for our residents is our utmost priority and we have numerous procedures and checks, alongside training, to ensure our team perform to the highest quality standards.
"When our safeguarding processes identify any potential issues with a registered professional we follow the relevant guidelines and referrals.
"The individual referred to in this situation didn’t work in Holmesview again after the incident described in this NMC report.”
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