'Bullying' Oswestry ward manager who 'had to stop herself gouging former colleagues eyeballs out' shares her side of the story
A former hospital ward manager who said she had to stop herself from “gouging a former colleague’s eyeballs out and shoving them down her throat” has given her side of the story.
Debbie Povall was in charge of Powys ward at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic (RJAH) Hospital in Gobowen, near Oswestry, at the time she sent the text message to another colleague on or around September to November 2018.
Ms Povall has also admitted to failing to preserve patient safety by working excessive hours between June 2018 and June 2019.
However, she has denied all the other charges she is facing as part of a Nursery and Midwifery Council (NMC) substantive hearing.
This includes:
Prioritising the administration of a controlled drug over assisting an incontinent patient who had soiled themselves
Declining to assist with a patient’s catheter and requesting for him to continue with observations instead
Failing to maintain patient care by implementing rigid routines by making staff work from one end of the ward to another in the morning leaving high risk patients without any supervision
Telling a colleague to “leave the patient and see will wee” rather than request a bladder scan, failing to escalate care for a patient whose oxygen saturation had dropped
Saying a patient can “go home tomorrow” despite having low haemogoblin and requiring a blood transfusion
Failing to isolate a patient who had not had a scan for a type of bacteria
Not recording a patient’s blood results on the handover notes
Failing to take the necessary checks when discharging patients, including one who raised concerns that she had no food at home.
The NMC closed its case in August. However, because of various delays, it had to be adjourned “part-heard” due to it not being concluded in time.
At the time, the panel decided not to impose an interim order, meaning that Ms Povall could continue working in her current role as a registered nurse that provides healthcare assessments for the Department for Work and Pensions.
The hearing resumed this week, with Ms Povall being given the opportunity to give her evidence. She described her communication as being “quite direct” with colleagues, which Ms Povall said was due to tiredness.
“As I talk, maybe I’m not being ‘fluffy’ with how I communicate with people – if there’s something to be said, I’d say it,” said Ms Povall.
