By Nurse who contributed to woman’s death struck off
A nurse who refused to admit a 22-year-old woman to a mental health unit hours before her death has been struck off.
Sally Mays, who had mental health issues, died at home in Hull in 2014.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practise committee found the decision by Patrick McKee to send Ms Mays away “contributed” to her death.
Thirty misconduct charges were proven against Mr McKee, who did not attend and was not represented despite notice being given about the hearing.
A published determination said Mr McKee was employed as a senior crisis resolution nurse at Miranda House in Hull.
Mr McKee, who determined whether potential patients met the criteria for admission, carried out a 15-minute assessment on Ms Mays.
Ms Mays was living with severe borderline personality disorder and “was always at a high risk of self-harm and harm to others,” the determination said.
The hearing heard Mr McKee treated Ms Mays with a “lack of fundamental care and compassion” and that he showed no “insight or remorse” for his actions which resulted in Ms Mays death.
Charges proven against Mr McKee include:
- Not sufficiently considering all psychological, social and medical factors as part of her assessment
- Not identifying whether it was him or his colleague who would be leading the assessment
- Not fully taking into account that two care coordinators and a psychotherapist were recommending her short-term admission
- Not further risk-assessing Ms Mays when she banged her head against a wall after the initial assessment
- Using words to the effect of “leave her, she’ll faint before she dies” after she began to choke herself
- Using words to the effect of “we want her out of the building” after police attended
In their decision, the committee wrote: “Balancing all of these factors and after taking into account all the evidence before it during this case, the panel determined that the appropriate and proportionate sanction is that of a striking-off order.
“Having regard to the effect of Mr McKee’s actions in bringing the profession into disrepute by adversely affecting the public’s view of how a registered nurse should conduct himself, the panel has concluded that nothing short of this sanction would be sufficient in this case.
“The panel considered that this order was necessary to mark the importance of maintaining public confidence in the profession, and to send to the public and the profession a clear message about the standard of behaviour required of a registered nurse.”
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