Published: Friday, 27th June, 2008 16:00
Nurse accused of neglect
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A nurse has been accused of failing to properly care for an elderly woman who later died at Wexham Park Hospital.
Arnel Garcia is charged with not making regular checks on an 89-year-old who went the Slough hospital with a broken leg following a car crash.
The 38-year-old senior nurse, of Slough, appeared before the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) offices in London on Monday and Tuesday. The council heard that although Garcia was told the patient could be suffering from an infection in the leg, he did not assess her condition and failed to ensure his junior staff carried out hourly checks.
The elderly woman, who had been described as ‘very fit and chatty’ before an operation to insert a pin in her shattered thighbone in November 2004, deteriorated rapidly afterwards.
The hearing heard that a healthcare assistant set off a panic alarm when he realised that the woman was struggling to breathe, but Garcia was nowhere to be seen. Teresa Murphy, representing the NMC, said: “Mr Garcia, being aware that she needed hourly shifts, did not ensure that observations were taken, and in fact, after he started the shift at 7am, an observation of the patient was not made until 10am and then again not until 2pm.”
He is also alleged to have covered his tracks by altering the patient’s observation chart after the death by changing her blood pressure reading.
Garcia moved to England from the Philippines in 2001. A hospital spokeswoman said he no longer works at Wexham Park. Garcia denied failing to assess the patient’s condition or to ensure that observations were carried out and changing the observation chart.
However, he has admitted a charge of returning to the nurses’ accommodation while in charge on the ward, but denied that his fitness to practice is impaired.
All the witnesses were not able to attend so proceedings have been deferred until the next available time slot in October. The hearing continues.
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