‘Forgetful’ nurse guilty of misconduct for failure to report assault allegation

A nurse claimed she forgot to report an allegation that an elderly and vulnerable care home resident had been assaulted by a member of staff.
Margaret Kiddie was told by a colleague of the woman that a male care assistant had pushed faeces back up into her bowel while she was constipated.

However, Miss Kiddie failed to respond appropriately and neither informed a manager or the resident’s family nor recorded the allegation in the resident’s file.

Although she spoke to the distressed but unhurt woman at Kirkcaldy’s Chapel Level Care Home shortly afterwards, she claimed that reporting the incident slipped her mind during a very busy day.

She has now been suspended from practising as a nurse for six months after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found her actions amounted to serious misconduct.

Miss Kiddie, who was dismissed by care home operator HC-One, was told of the resident’s claim last year and, the committee heard, spoke to her immediately before returning to her drug round.

When the care assistant who raised the alarm started work the next day she was surprised to see the male care assistant back on duty and told another nurse who informed the home manager.

Miss Kiddie was absent from the hearing but previously expressed remorse. She could not be contacted by The Courier on Tuesday.

An investigation was launched by the police, Fife Council and the Care Inspectorate into the alleged assault. The care assistant was suspended during the investigation but no evidence was found and no criminal charges were brought.

A police spokesman said: “The matter was reported to us and investigated.

“In association with the procurator fiscal depute it was decided that nothing of a criminal nature had taken place.”

Fife Council’s head of adult and older people’s services, Roseanne Fearon, said its social work team had supported the family and service user involved.

A spokesman for the home said: “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and wellbeing of those we support.

“As soon as we were made of aware of these concerns we acted immediately to alert the relevant authorities and suspend the member of staff in question.

“We take all allegations seriously and we thoroughly investigated the matter. As a result of our investigations the member of staff concerned was dismissed.”