Glass
3rd October 2012, 01:55 AM
Nurse made no attempt to help dying man, court told
A nurse with a bad back made no attempt to revive a dying man in cardiac arrest because it hurt to bend down, a UK court heard yesterday.
Care home nurse Debbie Johnson-Palmer, 41, allegedly dithered for more than an hour and a half as the pensioner's condition worsened and took no action as he lay in cardiac arrest, the Daily Mail reports.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council was also told emergency services were kept waiting for five minutes before staff unlocked the doors to provide the man with urgent treatment.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital after paramedics battled to save him.
Johnson-Palmer is also accused of having lied about the care she was giving during the 999 call and in paper records she made afterwards.
NMC representative David Clark said paramedic Suzanne Mallin was horrified by the lack of treatment and said in her witness statement that no CPR was being performed on the patient because the nurse in charge said it hurt her back to do so.
Giving evidence, Mallin added: 'An ambulance was called to help, so why wasn't help given before my arrival?
'When I walked in the room, there was no-one doing anything to help the patient; they were all just standing around.'
The episode unfolded at the 45-bed Ivybank Care Centre in Kings Norton, Birmingham, on July 31, 2010.
Johnson-Palmer allegedly failed to seek help for more than 90 minutes between 8.25pm and 10.30pm as the patient's condition deteriorated.
If found guilty, she would face a range of sanctions. The hearing continues.
link to article (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/15023506/nurse-made-no-attempt-to-help-dying-man-court-told/)
I think this is another nail in the coffin death of the common law tort - A Duty of Care.
I think it's a tort. Bit rusty these days. Anyway point remains. This person, under normal law would be liable for contributing to the death of this person.
A nurse with a bad back made no attempt to revive a dying man in cardiac arrest because it hurt to bend down, a UK court heard yesterday.
Care home nurse Debbie Johnson-Palmer, 41, allegedly dithered for more than an hour and a half as the pensioner's condition worsened and took no action as he lay in cardiac arrest, the Daily Mail reports.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council was also told emergency services were kept waiting for five minutes before staff unlocked the doors to provide the man with urgent treatment.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital after paramedics battled to save him.
Johnson-Palmer is also accused of having lied about the care she was giving during the 999 call and in paper records she made afterwards.
NMC representative David Clark said paramedic Suzanne Mallin was horrified by the lack of treatment and said in her witness statement that no CPR was being performed on the patient because the nurse in charge said it hurt her back to do so.
Giving evidence, Mallin added: 'An ambulance was called to help, so why wasn't help given before my arrival?
'When I walked in the room, there was no-one doing anything to help the patient; they were all just standing around.'
The episode unfolded at the 45-bed Ivybank Care Centre in Kings Norton, Birmingham, on July 31, 2010.
Johnson-Palmer allegedly failed to seek help for more than 90 minutes between 8.25pm and 10.30pm as the patient's condition deteriorated.
If found guilty, she would face a range of sanctions. The hearing continues.
link to article (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/world/15023506/nurse-made-no-attempt-to-help-dying-man-court-told/)
I think this is another nail in the coffin death of the common law tort - A Duty of Care.
I think it's a tort. Bit rusty these days. Anyway point remains. This person, under normal law would be liable for contributing to the death of this person.