A ‘dictatorial’ male nurse repeatedly deserted his

A ‘dictatorial’ male nurse repeatedly deserted his post during night shift leaving an old people’s home unattended in case of emergency, a conduct committee heard.

John Sheppard, 64, vanished up to 25 minutes at a time to go to his private chalet in the grounds of Trebursye Manor Nursing Home in Launceston, Cornwall.

One night he told staff he had to go and check on a young girl who he had left alone in his lodgings.

He also ordered a patient to be locked in her room because she kept devouring everything she could lay her hands on – including soap and plastic flowers.

Sheppard was the only qualified member of staff between 10pm and 8am and he was charged with the security of the home and regular visits on patients every two hours.

Counsel for the UKCC, Margaret Bromley said Sheppard, who had worked at the home since 1992, was not doing his job properly and so is guilty of misconduct.

It is claimed Sheppard did not even do his round on July 18, 1999, despite recording it in the log book.

Miss Bromley added: ‘It is the evidence of a care assistant that on none of these times did Mr Sheppard do a full round in the sense of visiting every patient.

‘Recording he had done a round when he had not is misleading and dishonest.

He was not carrying out his job properly.

‘

Care assistants Nicky West and Ann Lake told how Sheppard would regularly leave his post at the home.

Nicky West said she had to wait 25 minutes for him to return from his chalet and see a patient with Altzheimers who was having problems with her hand.

She claimed Sheppard never visited one part of the home between 2am and 6am on July 18, 1999.

‘I reported it to the matron in a letter.

He was always leaving the building, I seen him do it.

I didn’t think he should.

‘Sometimes he said he needed a pen, things like painkillers, to make a phone call, things he could have done before his shift.

‘

Ann Lake added: ‘He sometimes said he was going to pop across to the chalet for incontinence pads.

It was always between rounds.

‘He would only be gone for five or ten minutes but if there had been an emergency we would have to ask one of the girls to go and get him because I could not leave the home.

‘On one particular night it was reported there was a prowler in the grounds.

‘He said he had a girl staying in the chalet on her own, something to do with social services and he went to check on the girl.

‘

Sheppard admits he left the home on various occasions but denies all other allegations.

Alison Tucker said Sheppard told her to lock in a troublesome patient A who had to stay on a spare bed in another woman’s room in July 1999.

She added: ‘I found him hard to work with, he might be a bit dictatorial at times.

‘The patient wandered a lot in the night and used to chew a lot of plastic things, anything she could put in her mouth, very destructive.

‘The other woman didn’t like her belongings being touched and I once found Mrs A in bed with her one evening.

‘I asked Mr Sheppard whether we could move to a spare room next to the staff room so we could keep an eye on her.

‘He said to me it would be a good idea because we could lock the door.

‘

Sheppard, whose last known address was in Dawley, Telford, Shropshire, denies three counts of misconduct.

The hearing continues.

ends

addnight.