Nurse distressed at suspension from hospital

THE nurse at the centre of an investigation into two suspicious deaths at Naas General Hospital is “distressed and upset” at allegations that she may have acted unprofessionally.

Yesterday the head of the nursing agency which hired her said the woman was deeply shocked at her suspension from work at the Co Kildare hospital.

The investigation is focusing on the unauthorised administering of drugs to three elderly patients, two of whom died.

“She is very distressed and very upset,” said Catherine Kennedy Arnold, director of the Ranelagh-based agency, Nurse on Call Recruitment, who spoke to the nurse over the weekend.

Gardaí and Kildare coroner Professor Denis Cusack are awaiting the report of toxicology tests on the body of John Gethings, aged 77, which was exhumed last Friday, before making a decision to conduct similar examination of the second person who died at Naas General Hospital earlier this year.

The family of Mr Gethings yesterday praised medical staff at the hospital for having to work “under a cloud” following complaints about the nurse. The woman, who is in her early 30s and from Galway, first joined the nursing agency in July, 2002, when she was also working full-time at a hospital in Dublin, believed to be the Blackrock Clinic. However, a spokesperson for the clinic said yesterday that it had received no formal notification by any of the authorities relating to concerns about any of its former staff.

The nurse began agency work in August last year and worked at Naas General Hospital and three other hospitals until January, 2003. She later worked solely at Naas.

All three hospitals (two in Dublin and one in another part of Leinster) have been notified of developments by Nurse On Call Recruitment. Ms Kennedy Arnold said the time the nurse’s time in these hospitals ranged from one day to four weeks. She defended the agency’s vetting procedures saying strict practices were in place to ensure the highest professional standards. “All applicants are personally interviewed by our nurse co-ordinators who are themselves registered nurses.”

All recruits are obliged by Nurse On Call to hold current registration, provide two references from previous employers, have indemnity insurance and garda clearance.

“Prior to the recent allegations we did not receive any complaints regarding this nurse,” said Ms Kennedy Arnold.

The nursing regulatory body, An Bord Altranais, will meet later this week to consider applying to the High Court to have the nurse’s registration suspended with immediate effect. She has already been suspended from her job at Naas General Hospital as well as by the Nurse on Call agency.