Nurse allegedly gave incorrect medication doses to Cork care home residents, inquiry hears
The fitness to practise inquiry heard 21 allegations in relation to the nurse’s treatment for six residents in the CareChoice Montenotte nursing home during 2017.
An inquiry has heard a nurse gave incorrect amounts of medication to nursing home residents in Cork and falsified her colleagues’ signatures on some records.
The fitness to practise inquiry heard 21 allegations in relation to the nurse’s treatment for six residents in the CareChoice Montenotte nursing home during 2017.
She is accused of failing to meet the standards of competence expected of a registered nurse.
This followed a formal complaint to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) in relation to Carmelita Bacani’s work. The inquiry heard the matter was referred to gardaí but there was no prosecution against her.
Some allegations relate to medication errors in July 2017 in respect of four residents when it was alleged the nurse signed the medication administration record and then failed to give that medication.
It was further alleged, on other occasions, the nurse falsely entered her colleagues’ initials into the drugs register when giving a controlled drug and that she failed to check those drugs with a second nurse, as is required.
The inquiry heard she gave residents those medications without checking with her colleagues.
Other allegations were heard relating to giving the correct medication to residents but at an incorrect lower dosage than prescribed.
She is accused of making similar errors on various dates during 2017.
Lorna Lynch, the barrister acting for the NMBI chief executive, read into the record a letter submitted by Ms Bacani, aged 51.
This detailed how the nurse, a single mother, underwent a hysterectomy in October 2016.
“I suffered from so much pain on and after my surgery, due to sympathy for the residents I was looking after, those incidents happened," the letter said.
"I was under so much pressure during the time I was on night duty from residents calling and carers calling me, I decided to prioritise my residents, giving them their tablets on time though I tried to ring other wards."
Ms Bacani was not represented by a solicitor nor is she a member of a union.
She told the hearing: “I don’t have the money to pay legal representation, that is why I decided to do this on my own.”
She is currently employed as a healthcare assistant at a different nursing home, also in Cork, which submitted a character reference to the inquiry.
However, as the hearing went on, it became clear that although Ms Bacani, who is from the Philippines, has a high level of English, she was struggling to understand the legal terminology and processes.
The inquiry was held remotely, with people dialling in from various locations and she did not have expert assistance. Following some discussion around the logistics, it was decided to adjourn the hearing.
Witnesses whom Ms Lynch had planned to call from the nursing home were not heard for this reason.
A date for an in-person inquiry to be held in Dublin at the NMBI offices will be agreed upon, said inquiry chair Mark Blake Knox.
