Shropshire Star

Shropshire nurse who failed to help pensioner who fell and broke hip is struck off

A Shropshire nurse who failed to help a pensioner who fell and broke his hip has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

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Mmpatji Motaung was on duty overnight at Bradeney Care Home, in Worfield near Bridgnorth on November 7, 2017.

While she was on duty, 86-year-old Michael Ralph fell to the ground and suffered a fracture to his hip.

But Motaung, 66, failed to examine Mr Ralph for signs of injury, or to make any record of the fall and it was not until the next morning when another nurse found out about the fall at 10.50am that she spotted that the victim had a fracture and an ambulance was called. Motaung also failed to document the fall in the patient notes, and she failed to notify staff at the handover of it.

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A hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council last week heard that Motaung had also poked Mr Ralph in the head in a 'rough manner on three occasions'.

Mr Ralph, who had dementia, and his wife Peggy, then 80, both lived at the home.

On November 21, 2017, Motaung was arrested and later charged with wilful neglect.

On August 31, 2018, she submitted a guilty plea at Shrewsbury Crown Court and was convicted of wilful neglect.

Sentencing was adjourned until March 20, 2019, when Motaung was sentenced to imprisonment for six months suspended for 12 months, with 30 days of rehabilitation.

Mr Ralph passed away in August 2018.

The panel, sitting in London said that Motaung’s actions were 'significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register'.

The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Motaung’s actions were so serious that to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body.

Les and Jane Jones, owners of Bradeney Care Homes said: "We are pleased that the case has concluded. We referred this nurse to the NMC and the police immediately and this is the right outcome.

"It has been a couple of years and this is what we expected to happen. She is no longer fit to practice."

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