What should happen to a nurse who moved a patient in an inappropriate manner?

A nurse moved a vulnerable patient in an inappropriate manner while using an inappropriate handling technique, leading to them facing the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s fitness-to-practise panel.

The charges:

That Nurse A:

1. In relation to Patient A:

a. Moved Patient A in an inappropriate manner and/or used an unapproved manual handling technique by:

i. Picking them up under their armpits;

ii. Swinging their legs on the bed;

b. Did not stop moving Patient A in the manner at Charge 1a when they said “No, please, please, just wait, just wait” or words to that effect;

c. Said to Relative A “It’s nothing more than what physiotherapy would do” or words to that effect.

The background:

Nurse A was employed at a hospital at the time of the alleged incident. During a physiotherapy assessment, Patient A was involved in an incident described as an ‘assisted fall’. This fall is alleged to have caused considerable pain. A decision was taken that they should be transferred to the X-ray department to ascertain if any damage had been done.

It is alleged that before Nurse A’s shift started, two attempts had been made to move Patient A from the chair to the bed – these attempts were unsuccessful due to the pain that Patient A was experiencing. Nurse A decided that they should be transferred to the X-ray department in Patient A’s bed.

It is alleged that Nurse A used an inappropriate technique to move Patient A from a chair adjacent to the bed to the bed, and that when moving them, Nurse A did so using an unapproved manual handling technique. It is further alleged that, while Patient A was sitting in the chair Nurse A stood behind them, picking them up under their armpits, causing them to scream in pain. It is alleged that Patient A and Witness 1 asked Nurse A to stop. Having moved Patient A to a seated position on the bed, Nurse A proceeded to move Patient A’s legs by lifting their ankles in a swinging motion on to the bed.

At the hearing:

All of the charges were found proved. The panel was of the view that Nurse A’s actions in moving Patient A as they did, despite their protests, together with the comments that Nurse A made at that time, fell short of the standards expected of a registered nurse, and that Nurse A’s actions amounted to a breach of the Code.

Results of the fitness-to-practise panel:

The FtP panel can impose four different sanctions:

• Caution: the nurse or midwife is cautioned for their behaviour, but is allowed to practise without restriction

• Conditions of practice: this will prevent a registrant from carrying out certain types of work or working in a particular setting, it may require them to attend occupational health or do retraining. The order can be applied for up to three years and must be reviewed by an FTP panel again before expiry

• Suspension: the nurse or midwife will be suspended from practice for a period of initially not longer than one year, but this can be extended after review by an FTP panel

• Striking off: a nurse or midwife is removed from the register and not allowed to practise in the UK. The nurse or midwife must apply to be readmitted to the register