This report from the BBC News website brings to an end one of
the more shocking incidents from the scandal at Mid Staffordshire Hospital.
I would have used a report from The Nursing Times, usually
very reliable but not today. Their report wasn’t helpful and a comment made by
a reader (a nurse?) afterwards sought to belittle the episode.
For the record neglect is generally very difficult to prove.
This pair were guilty of a number of different acts of cruelty – the failure to
test or provide insulin just being the easiest to prove;
Nurse
struck off for Stafford Hospital deathGillian Astbury Gillian Astbury died at
Stafford Hospital in April 2007
A nurse has
been struck off after failing to identify a patient who died at Stafford
Hospital was diabetic.
Gillian
Astbury, 66, died at the hospital in April 2007 after not receiving insulin.
In July, a
Nursing and Midwifery Council panel found former Stafford nurses Jeannette
Coulson and Ann King guilty of misconduct.
King has
been struck off by the panel, while Coulson was given a caution for a period of
three years.
During the
earlier hearing, King was also found to have lied about having changing
patients' dressings and giving them medication, while Coulson admitted swearing
at staff.
The panel
heard the pair had failed to carry out blood-sugar level tests on Ms Astbury.
She was
admitted to Stafford Hospital a week after suffering a stroke on 1 April 2007.
She did not
receive insulin for 48 hours, and was discovered collapsed in a bed at 22:30 on
10 April.
In a
statement, Ms Astbury's daughter Kate Beeson said: "While we are happy
that the conclusion of the NMC hearing draws a line under the case, whatever
the ruling, nothing can bring my mother back, and nothing can truly reflect the
severity of the nurses' negligence.
"We
have been fighting for justice for several, very tiring years. Since her tragic
death, I have been unable to put my mother to rest.
"Today's
judgment, and all of the effort that has gone into getting to this stage, will
be completely in vain if others in a similar position do not step out and make
their voices heard.
"It is
important that those responsible are brought to account and people need to
speak up in order to make that happen."
In a
statement, the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust said its thoughts were
with Ms Astbury's family and apologised for the "appalling care" she
received.
It added
that both nurses had since left the trust.
The trust
is itself facing a prosecution over Ms Astbury's death, brought by the Health
and Safety Executive, under the health and safety at work act.
What was important was the creation of a ‘culture’ where this
behaviour became acceptable, just as bullying becomes ‘acceptable’ and was
probably also present.
Neil Harris
(a don’t stop till you drop production)
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