NURSE STRUCK OFF AFTER HUMILIATING AND HURTING ICU PATIENT WITH 'ACID-LIKE' SUBSTANCE
A nurse who squeezed an intensive care patient's penis and cleaned it with a substance which felt like "acid" has been struck off the professional register to work.Andrew Jonathan Davies humiliated the gravely ill patient who was unable to speak and could only communicate with his eyes when he looked after him in the ICU at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil, a professional standards hearing was told.
At times Davies had the patient in his care "crying out in pain", with the patient saying he hurt his head and neck on every shift, the Nursing and Midwifery Council committee heard.
All of nine allegations against Davies, in relation to the patient, were found proved by a Nursing and Midwifery Council Panel.
The nurse, with 40 years experience, was registered as an adult care nurse in 1986 and orthopaedic nurse in 1988.
He was was struck off in both categories.
Davies, who regularly worked at the Prince Charles Hospital ICU with the Richmond Nursing Agency Ltd between 2020 and 2021, denied all the allegations but the panel, which also took evidence from the patient, his wife and hospital staff, found all proved and that they amounted to serious misconduct.
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The details and result of the hearing, which began earlier this year, was delayed and resumed from November 10-20, have been posted online by the NMC.
The patient, referred to as Patient A to protect his identity, was admitted to Prince Charles Hospital intensive care unit in April 2021 with abdominal pain, possible sepsis and peri-arrest.
He was later diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an auto-immune disease which can lead to weakness and paralysis.
As a result of his GBS Patient A was paralysed, placed on a ventilator and sedated.
He could not close his eyes, had no movement and was in ITU for 143 days until being moved to another ward and was taken off sedation on May 5, 2021.
It was during this period, while Patient A was not sedated, including dates from May 5 to June 27, 2021, that Davies cared for him.
During this time Patient A said Davies left him "crying out in pain" when he moved his legs, cleaned his penis with a substance that felt like "acid" and ripped electrodes from his chest, among other allegations, all found proved.
“On a number of occasions (I cannot recall the specific dates but it was every time Mr Davies was my allocated nurse), Mr Davies would squeeze my penis, pull back my foreskin and look at me and pull a face which indicated to me that he knew what he was doing to me was painful and say 'oooh it’s got to be done'," the patient said in evidence.
The panel found it proved that on one or more occasions Davies used a product other than soap and water and/or sterile cleansing pack to clean Patient A’s penis which was not clinically justified.
In addition the panel found it proved that Davies had ordered the patient to sit in a chair and told him not to "f*****g roll your eyes at me" when that was the only means of communication the patient had.
“The only way I could try and communicate the pain I was in was through my eyes or by nodding my head side to side and when I did this, Mr Davies would come up to the side of my head and say 'don’t f*****g roll your eyes at me'," Patient A told the committee.
Patient A also said that on one occasion when he was outside with Davies, another nurse, his wife and daughter, Davies had told him: “You look like a right p***k in the sunglasses.” Both these allegations were also found proved by the panel.
Davies hurt him every time he was on shift, the man told the committee.
He said: "On every shift that Mr Davies was my allocated nurse, he would push my head and neck too far when repositioning me and it really hurt.
"I tried to make him aware that I was in pain by moving my head from side to side and straining my eyes and he saw me doing this, however, he still carried on doing [sic] pushing my head and neck too far, causing me pain on every shift." A witness also told the panel they heard Davies telling Patient A during rehabilitation: “I told you, you have to sit in the chair, you have to do it" and that was also found proved.
The report of the hearing online detailed how: "Patient A alleges that, on a number of occasions, you were rough in your handling of him and that on occasions you would physically move him without informing him or seeking consent.
Patient A told Person B (his wife) that you had pulled his foreskin back resulting in pain.
He stated that you had squeezed his penis and put a solution on his penis which burned him.
Patient A was unable to detail the dates of these occurrences." An investigation was launched in July 2021 after the patient's wife reported his allegations to senior staff.
A meeting with the agency was held on July 20 during which Davies denied the allegations.
A week later on July 27, 2021 he was dismissed by the agency.
The NMC hearing noted how Davies claimed the allegations never occurred, claimed Patient A "has associated false memories given his type of illness and the time period he was in ITU" and had a grudge because he'd refused him a drink of squash due to the potential risk of aspiration and infection.
Those claims were dismissed by the panel.
Representing the NMC Giedrius Kabasinskas said Davies' actions were intended to and/or had the effect of intimidating, humiliating and causing fear to Patient A as well as causing physical and/or psychological harm to him and he had shown little insight into his actions, all of which he still denied happened.
The panel found that Patient A was put at risk and was caused physical and emotional harm as a result of Davies' misconduct.
Striking the nurse off, they told him: "Whilst you maintain that none of this ever happened, you have not addressed what you could do differently in the future to ensure that patients do not feel threatened by you, or fully acknowledged the impact that your actions have had on Patient A.
The panel also bore in mind that you have not provided the panel with an updated reflective statement." A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said: “The safety and dignity of our patients is of paramount importance.
We can confirm that a professional issue involving an agency nurse was raised back in 2021.
As soon as the Health Board was made aware of the allegations, the individual was immediately stopped from working, and all appropriate professional, safeguarding, and regulatory escalation processes were followed.
