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Dunblane nurse’s ‘20-year career down pan’ after admitting misconduct

Stacey Smith left a patient sleeping in a chair overnight.

Randolph Hill Nursing Home in Dunblane
Randolph Hill nursing home in Dunblane. Google Street View

A Dunblane nurse has told how her “20-year career is down the pan” after admitting misconduct.

Stacey Smith – a registered nurse since 2006 – quit her job after a series of allegations emerged about her time working at Randolph Hill nursing home.

Smith failed to help colleagues move a patient into her bed in October 2020 – and then left the same patient sleeping in a chair overnight.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) also found Smith had failed to clear a patient’s blocked catheter just weeks later.

Smith quit her job at Randolph Hill four days after the catheter incident and is now working in hospitality.

She admitted the NMC charges – but the panel was told there were some mitigating factors.

Dunblane nurse had responsibility for nursing home residents

A report into the hearing set out details of the incidents at the Dunblane home.

It said: “During the night shift beginning on October 15 2020, Miss Smith had overall responsibility for the residents on the ground floor of the home.

“At 9pm, a healthcare assistant informed Miss Smith that the patient was awake in her chair and needed to be put to bed.

“The patient was a large resident with mobility issues. She required the use of a hoist, an extra large sling and three staff to help her transfer at all times.

“At 1am, whilst completing pad checks on residents, the colleague approached Miss Smith again to remind her that the patient was still not in bed.

“At that point Miss Smith told that the patient could be put to bed once the pad checks had been completed.”

The NMC logo.
The NMC published the report. Image: NMC

The NMC heard how a colleague continued to remind Smith about the patient throughout the night but “no action was taken”.

Eventually, at 6.40am, the colleague and another care assistant moved the patient to her bed.

She had spent more than 24 hours in the chair.

Bosses at the home put Smith on a four-week plan to address communication and leadership concerns.

But less than two months later, she failed to flush a patient’s catheter after it had become blocked, and did not escalate the matter.

She resigned on December 6 2020.

‘I don’t need reminded of a 20-year career down the pan’

In later emails to the NMC, Smith told the watchdog she was “not interested” in attending the misconduct proceedings because “nursing is my past”.

She also told the NMC: “I won’t be changing my mind, I work in hospitality now.

“I want this to stop as I can’t move on and don’t need reminded of a 20-year career down the pan.”

Smith added: “Never in my life over 20 years have I been a danger to anyone.”

The NMC found she had shown “no insight or remorse”.

Some mitigating factors were revealed as part of the hearing but these have been redacted from the report.

The panel also found there was “no evidence of harmful deep-seated personality or attitudinal problems” and “no evidence of repetition of behaviour”.

However the NMC found Smith’s fitness to practise was impaired.

It imposed an interim 18-month suspension – which will be replaced by a six-month suspension if no appeal is made.

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