Feed Me

Here's a precautionary tale in case anyone in Scotland is foolish enought to believe that poor treatment of elderly hospital patients - is a phenomenon that is restricted to just one health facility south of the border.

A senior nurse - Glen Davidson (39) - from Lynebank Hospital in Dunfermline has been suspended and branded a disgrace to his profession - after taping a sing saying 'Feed Me' on to the chest of an tube-fed elderly stroke victim.

Now the incident happened during a night shift on 1 April 2010 - and the nurse involved seem to think his little joke was even 'funnier' as it happened to take place on April Fool's Day.

Last week the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) - the professions' regulatory body - finally caught up with Glen Davidson and suspended him for 18 months after finding that the senior staff nurse represented - “a real risk of harm to patients and their dignity”.

Seems terribly lenient if you ask me - and I wonder if the man was suspended on full pay from his job ever since the original incident which took place three years ago?  

I sincerely hope not because that would be a terrible waste of public money - while waiting for the NMC to get round to dealing with his case - although these long delays are quite common in my experience.

A stunned colleague who had nursed the woman (Patient A) for two years - removed the sign and tore up the A4 sheet of paper when she realised what Davidson had done - and presumably then reported him to the authorities.

So well done to the unnamed nurse who blew the whistle on the vile Mr Davidson - because that's the kind of spirit more people should have shown at Mid Staffs NHS Trust - where up to 1200 patients died as the result of poor standard of care.

Davidson tried to cover his tracks by arguing that the notice was meant as a joke and told the NMC panel he had written ‘Feed Me First’ as an instruction to staff.

Davidson also alleged that Patient A had nodded to indicate that she was hungry, a claim dismissed by another nurse who said the woman “did not have the capacity to communicate”.

The hearing was told that “no other witness claimed to be able to communicate with Patient A in the manner described” by Davidson. Several other charges involving dishonest conduct, were also proven against Davidson.

In other words the man was an experienced and resourceful liar. 

The NMC ruled that the suspension was “necessary on the grounds of public protection” - but what happens after that - presumably this chap's behaviour is on his record and he can't just walk into another job in 18 months time - in the UK or abroad.

Commenting on the case Margaret Watt of the Scotland Patients Association said:

“This is totally unacceptable. This man is in the wrong profession. There are two types of people who go into this work – those for whom it is a vocation, and others who are in it for the money and the holidays. It is clearly not a vocation for this man.

This was a despicable and shocking thing to do. Although patients have not changed, the culture of caring has. “Nurses should spend a year on the wards caring for people – washing them, taking them to the toilet – before progressing with their career.

Those who are not able to care, or don’t want to, should be weeded out."

Well said, but what it comes down to is other staff speaking out on behalf of their patients - and that's the lesson to be learned from Mid Staffs.