FEARN: CAUTION FOR NURSE WHO FAILED TO HELP PATIENT

A care home nurse who failed to respond to a frail pensioner’s rapidly deteriorating health has been let off with a caution.

Lisa Fearn, 41, neglected to check the 83 year-old’s pulse or blood pressure, or urgently call for a doctor.

The pensioner was rushed from Burton Lodge Care Home, in Derby, to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary Hospital on January 2, 2009, suffering with broncho-pneumonia. She died two days later.

Fearn chose not to attend a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing in central London.

She was found guilty of providing adequate care to Patient A by not monitoring her blood pressure or pulse, and failing to act appropriately in response to her deteriorating condition on January 1 and 2, 2009.

She was cleared of similar charges relating to December 30 and 31.

Fearn’s fitness to practice was found to be impaired by her misconduct and she was handed a two-year caution order.

Panel chairman Maurice Cohen said: ‘The panel finds the condition of Patient A was not such to require Ms Fearn to monitor her blood pressure or pulse rates on December 30 and 31, 2008.

‘However, the panel finds that by the time of her shift on January 1, 2009, Ms Fearn should have appreciated Patient A’s condition had deteriorated significantly.

‘Ms Fearn should have arranged for Patient A to be medically examined during her shifts on January 1 and 2, 2009.

‘The delay in calling a doctor to examine Patient A constituted a failure to provide adequate nursing care.’

It was also acknowledged that management at Burton Lodge Care Home at the time of the incident ‘left a lot to be desired’ and that staff training was ‘woefully inadequate’.

Mr Cohen added: ‘Ms Fearn appears to have been an experienced nurse, and her failure to take steps to care for the frail patient, whose condition she knew to be deteriorating, could not be excused.

‘But she had an unblemished record before the incidents in question and has performed satisfactorily as a nurse since then.

‘Her failures appear to have been an isolated incident, which may be related to inadequate management, supervision and training.

‘She has undergone appropriate training since then and the panel considers her failures are unlikely to be repeated.’

The panel heard that Patient A had been suffering from a catalogue of serious health problems including chronic lung disease and internal bleeding.

Fearn, of Mickleover, Derby, had followed correct procedures when the pensioner complained about feeling unwell just one week before she died.

But overnight on January 1 and 2, the nurse failed to monitor Patient A’s blood pressure or pulse or call a doctor until 6am.

David Clark, for the NMC, told the hearing: ‘Patient A’s condition deteriorated and she was taken into hospital on January 4, where she died.

‘Ms Fearn recorded in her notes that Patient A had requested to see a doctor or go to a hospital. She knew her health was becoming regressively worse.

‘Despite that knowledge, she failed to recognise vital observations in particular blood pressure and pulse.’

The hearing was also told that Fearn was dismissed from the home in January 2009, after an investigation was launched and the matter was passed to the NMC.

Two other staff were also given written warnings. 

ENDS