Nurse who endangered patients and intimidated staff struck off

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Wednesday, 20 February 2019 16:55

By Matt Discombe - Local Democracy Reporter

A nurse has been struck off after being aggressive to colleagues who challenged him over exposing patients to harm in hospitals in South Wales.

Kewalpatee Boodhun raised his voice and called another nurse a “f*****g c**t” when he was challenged for not properly disposing of a needle he had used to take blood from a patient during an incident in Nevill Hall Hospital on July ,9 2017, a disciplinary panel found.

Mr Boodhun again became aggressive to a colleague at the University of Hospital of Wales (UHW) in Cardiff in August that year, saying “don’t talk to me like that, little girl” when confronted for giving a patient normal socks as opposed to non-slip socks.

During that incident Mr Boodhun told the colleague he wanted to continue the conversation in a bathroom, saying: “Get in there.”

Agency nurse Mr Boodhun also did not supervise a high dependency unit  patient at UHW with mobility issues while they showered, a hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council found this month.

At the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend on August 6, 2017, an elderly patient fell when Mr Boodhun left them unsupervised in the toilet even though they were at risk of falling.

The panel, which heard from seven witnesses, found Mr Boodhun had committed misconduct and imposed a striking off order. 

If Mr Boodhun appeals the decision he will be subject to an interim suspension of 18 months.

In a statement Mr Boodhun had suggested two of the witnesses in the hearing were motivated by racism in making the complaints against him and that another witness referred him to the NMC out of revenge because he had accused her of racism.

But in a report the panel said Mr Boodhun provided no evidence of these claims.
He admitted not disposing of one needle properly at the incident at  Nevill Hill Hospital but said he believed there would be no risk to patient safety as the treatment room was locked. The panel, however, found he did not take action to make the needle safe.

Mr Boodhun told the panel he would not have called the nurse a “f*****g c**t” because other staff members have previously described him as “eloquent” but this was dismissed by the panel.

For the patient in the shower incident at UHW Mr Boodhun said he decided not to supervise them to prioritise their respect and dignity but the panel found he had an obligation to do so.

With the toilet incident Mr Boodhun told the NMC panel he had done nothing wrong and had left the patient in the toilet to help another patient. He said he removed the ‘steady’ to give the patient more room.

But the panel found Mr Boodhun had left the patients’ safety at risk by not supervising them and removing a ‘steady’ from their reach.

A spokesman for Your World Healthcare, which employed Mr Boodhun, said: “Following complaints received from a hospital in Wales the clinical governance team here at Your World Nursing referred Mr Kewalpatee Boodhun to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

“Subsequently we were informed that Mr Kewalpatee Boodhun was struck off of the NMC register.”

A spokeswoman for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB), which manages UHW, said: “Cardiff and the Vale UHB works hard to ensure that all staff employed or used via the agency meet the high standards of care required by the UHB and the regulatory bodies. We also expect all staff to practice within the values and behaviours of UHB.

“The individual in question was not employed by Cardiff and Vale UHB but was provided by an agency. Concerns about the practice and behaviour of this individual were identified and referred to the agency in line with the all-Wales agreement.

“At this point the UHB stopped using this agency nurse within the UHB. It is our understanding that this individual has since been referred to the NMC and has been struck off the register.”

Gareth Howells, director of nursing and patient experience at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health Board, which manages the Princess of Wales Hospital, said: “The health board expects the very highest standard of patient care to be provided by all staff, including agency staff, at all times.
“The individual in question was not employed by ABMU but was provided by an agency.

“Once we became aware of concerns we carried out our own inquiries, informed the agency, and subsequently stopped using him within ABMU.

“Agencies that provide bank nurses for Welsh hospitals have to comply with the all-Wales contract and must meet certain standards in order to get this contract.
“In line with the NMC decision this individual will not be able to work as a nurse in our hospitals or any other.”

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which manages Nevill Hall Hospital, said: “The individual in question was provided by an employment agency and was not employed by the health board. We expect the very highest standard of patient care to be provided by all staff, including agency staff, at all times.

“The NMC decision means that this individual will not be able to work as a nurse in any of our hospitals in future.”

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