Bridgend nurses cleared of neglect after prosecution case collapses

Two nurses have been cleared of neglect after the allegation against them collapsed.

Claire Cahill, 42, and Jade Pugh, 30, were due to go on trial at Cardiff Crown Court amid allegations they falsified blood sugar levels of stroke patients at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.

But on the day the day jurors were set to hear the case open, the prosecution offered no evidence.

That decision came after a judge ruled that data from glucometers set to feature in the trial could not be put before a jury.

Judge Tom Crowther said technical flaws should have been uncovered much sooner.

He said: “Enormous expense has been incurred with trial preparation – hundreds of hours of time has been spent by experts … which has had a knock on effect of other cases waiting to be tried.

“It matters because two women have been facing a trial which should have been ready earlier.

“It matters because the families of the patients involved will have had their upset prolonged.”

Judge Crowther then ordered the jury to deliver not guilty verdicts on all 10 counts.

Cahill (pictured), of Coytrahen, Bridgend, had faced six allegations of causing wilful neglect between April and December 2012. Pugh, of North Cornelly, had been accused of four counts of wilful neglect between June and October of the same year.

Defending Cahill, Kirsty Brimelow QC said her client was a very hard-working and conscientious person and wanted to resume working in the care profession.

As she left court, Mrs Pugh said she was relieved the case was finally over.

And in a short statement Mrs Cahill said she wanted to thank family and friends who had stood by her since first being arrested three years ago.

Bosses at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health Board – which operates the Princess of Wales Hospital – said its thoughts were with its patients who had been involved in the case.

A spokeswoman said: “The blood glucometry issues related to historical events some years ago. We can give assurances that regular checks since then have revealed no further problems.

“Issues around the care of patients in the Princess of Wales Hospital, including the blood glucometry test issues, led to the commissioning of the Trusted to Care – Andrews Report.

“The follow-up review was published last month, and gave reassurances that the care of frail older people is now much better.

“We remain determined to do more, to continually improve, and continue to have a commitment to dealing with issues as they arise in an open and transparent way.

“Like everyone else, we have just heard this news about the trial, and we will now need to take time to reflect.”

Three other nurses, who worked on the same ward, pleaded guilty to neglect-related charges last year.

Gareth Williams, spokesman for the ABMU Victim Support Group, refreshed calls for a public enquiry into the hospital.

Mr Williams’s elderly mother Lillian died at Princess of Wales Hospital in 2012 – with ABMU later accepting the 82-year-old had suffered what it said was unacceptable treatment.

He said: “Although this case has collapsed today, without the police enquiry those three other nurses would still be working on a ward in the Princess of Wales Hospital today.

“The criminal investigation which has ended here today has focussed on a very narrow remit … there must now be wider accountability.”

Mr Williams also told reporters that the “buck should stop” with First Minister Carwyn Jones – who is also the constituency AM for Bridgend.

Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2015, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Ben Wright PA/Wire.