Reporting a Nurse Or Midwife to the NMC

This original document has been anonymised to protect the witnesses and the case pending against the nurse in question

Referring a nurse or midwife to the NMC: For patients and the public

I am complaining as an individual and the chair of The Patients Voice but much of my complaint is based on intelligence gathered from residents, relatives, relatives whose resident have now died, ex members of staff and current members of staff who all have stories to tell and concerns that they wish to voice though us.

Who was the nurse or midwife involved?

Claire Louise Phelps Lives in Doncaster South Yorkshire

Currently the Manager at The Oaks and Little Oaks Care Home 172 London Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire. NG24 3BN

Registered as Nurse – Mental Health Registered 22 – 09 – 2003

When did the incident(s) take place?

The incidents took place between February 2015 and the current timeWhere did the incident(s) take place?

The Oaks and Little Oaks Care Home 172 London Road Newark Nottinghamshire NG24 3BN

Nursing and Midwifery Council Page 1 of 6 Incidents took place or both the residential and nursing units of this ‘home’

What happened?

There are several incidents that have taken place over a 12 month period from February 2015 to the present date. I have bullet pointed some of these but there is a detailed report available:

1. A complaint was sent to CP by MC on the 24th October 2015 complaining about medication being left on the side table and food and drink left out of reach of the residents. CP’s response was to call the complainant a ‘malicious cow’ to all the staff. We feel this is wilful neglect as well as bringing the profession into disrepute.

2. CP changed the way a resident was lifted out of bed from manual to a hoist. As the resident had a locked hip this caused her to scream in pain, despite her daughter’s complaints over a period of time this practice continued. Eventually the resident was put on bed rest and was never got out of bed again until her daughter moved her to another home where in two months she has put on five kilos’ and fully engages in life in the residence. We feel this was wilful neglect as well as assault by staff causing unnecessary pain on CP’s instructions.

3. On Wednesday the 21st October 2015 residents were left with no breakfast until past 11.30am. We feel this is a failure of duty of care again following CP’s instructions.

4. During September and October 2015 a lady P who was 103 was observed by visitors that food and drink was left out of reach and no assistance given to the resident. We feel this again is a failure in duty of care which was CP’s responsibility.

5. Several relatives have expressed their concerns that DNR orders have been placed in the resident’s files by CP with no doctor or relatives consultation/consent. We feel this is outside the remit of a ‘nurse’ and the Appeal Court ruled last year that a DNR is only applied to heart failure and there is a duty to treat in all other circumstances, however we fell this rule is not being applied by CP and there are many failures to call for medical assistance.

6. A member of staff was sent a text message telling him to get residents out of bed and to weigh them. These instructions were received at 04.20 this caused residents much distress. We feel this action and many others following showed a failure to protect the wellbeing and dignity of residents.

7. Again, during the period from February 2015 to September 2015 resident’s property had been removed on CP’s instructions and expensive items such as electric chairs had been thrown out, no attempt was made to contact relatives about collecting these items. This constitutes theft and brings the profession into disrepute.

Nursing and Midwifery Council Page 2 of 6 8. CP changed the hairdresser and the meal times against resident’s wishes and restricted the visitors they wanted to see this again removed choice from residents which is a fundamental right and breaches their human rights.

9. It has been widely reported by staff and relatives that CP bullies and threatens the residents again bringing the profession into disrepute.

10.In May 2015 a member of staff was so concerned about the treatment of a resident MM that they called to CQC and reported the incident. This incident where a resident was found by CP to be ‘wet and stank’ was forcibly dragged by CP and another member of staff to the showers where he was heard screaming prompting the call. MM thereafter refused to come out of his room as he had been humiliated and frightened. In January, this year (2016) he had spent one day in hospital as he had banged his head when being forced into bed (he normally slept in a chair), the hospital voiced concerns to his daughter he was not getting his medication and he was malnourished and dehydrated however, he was sent back to the ‘home’. MM had huge sores on his feet and legs which his daughter says, ‘the bandages just kept getting bigger’.

11.MM then died, over the three-week period prior to his death the post mortem found he had had no food or fluids and his daughter was not contacted during this period, she was only contacted the day before he died. During his last hours, the ‘nurse’ on duty said she could not administer any pain relief (acknowledging he was in pain) as he could not swallow but there appears to have been no medical help sought over this period and certainly not in his final hours. The management of MM should have been a priority as he was not ‘end of life’ through say cancer, and his diabetes which apparently led to his death should have been managed properly. This case is an example of CP’s complete failure in her duty of care for a resident both to manage the care and seek help for this resident. Intervention by the proper teams may not have saved his life but would have meant his passing could have been managed better and CP had a duty to care for this gentleman and not leave him to die a painful lingering death which has much distressed his family. Also within hours of his death his clothes had been thrown in a skip rather than offered to his family, which we again feel is theft bring the profession into disrepute.

Note: after our initial report was published on the 1st November 2015 we then kept a more detailed log of incidents. While we accept that not all the incidents were at the direct hands of CP but they are as a result of her direct orders and therefore can be attributed directly to her.

12.In October 2015 this homes contracts were suspended by Notts CC, the responsible CCG and also the CQC had carried out an inspection following the report, rating the home as ‘needs improvement’. As of mid March the contracts remain suspended. One of the identifiable issues was lack of proper record keeping and care plans. However, CP’s answer to this has been to instruct staff to fabricate records and filling in ‘gaps’ when observations and care was not delivered either appropriately, timely or many times at all.

Nursing and Midwifery Council Page 3 of 6 13.On the 30th December 2015 a phlebotomist was attending a resident who three times had refused to have her blood taken as she was not feeling well. He told CP this she then went privately into the resident’s room and came out saying the resident had now agreed. This is a serious indication that residents are being bullied and treated against their will and is directly laid at CP door as the person involved. She has also instructed staff if residents refuse anything they are to list it in their records as ‘for their own good’ which certainly breaches their human rights to freedom of choice, certainly when they have capacity.

14.In January JB refused a shower as she was not feeling well and was showered against her will, she died two days later.

15.D was another resident showered against her will again breaching her HR would the offer of a bed bath not have been more appropriate and less invasive?

16.In mid February staff were instructed to work double shifts (and one had to work a triple shift) or they would be dismissed. Again, this is back to a bullying leadership and bringing the profession into disrepute.

17.A relative has spoken of ‘ghost staff’ to cover up staff shortages and CP is alleged to be directly behind this scam which falsifying record’s (which is a criminal offence) to cover the fact she is not running a safe home with the minimum staff resident ratio being adhered to.

18.On the 14th March 2016 Notts County Council did an unannounced inspection and checked the rota, the home was found to be short staffed which puts the care of the residents at risk.

19.On the 16th March 2016 the CQC consisting of four inspectors did an unannounced visit and found again the home was understaffed to be run safely and a big issue with medication delivery including the deputy manager had no training/qualification to deliver medicines nor did CP who had been in charge of this role.

20.On the 18th March 2016 CP suspended a member of staff for co operating with the CQC inspection on the 16th March 2016 citing ‘speaking to third parties’.

21.On the 19th or 20th she suspended two more staff we believe for the same reason.

22.We are also concerned at an inappropriate relationship between CP’s and the deputy manager as we find the deputy manager has been staying at CP’s house. We feel this is inappropriate because of the actions suspending staff which over the past twelve months has been approximately 50% of the 50 plus members of staff she has forced out of their jobs and these were professional, qualified staff who cared passionately about the residents.

The list of incidents we can identify are numerous and a full report can be supplied or found at www.thepatientsvoice.org.uk

Nursing and Midwifery Council Page 4 of 6 Did anyone else see what happened?

Mr & Mrs C – Residents Daughter Mrs L – Residents daughter Mr M A - Residents Son Mr P A - Residents Husband Ms L M Daughter of deceased Mrs J F - Ex Staff Mr H F - Ex Deputy Manager Mr & Mrs N – Son & Daughter in Law of Deceased Ms CT – Ex Staff

Have you made a complaint to anyone else about this?

We made complaints starting in February 2015 to the owners of the care home Four Seasons and then to the CQC, Notts CC, Newark & Sherwood CCG, Lincolnshire CC, and more recently to the Prime Minister, the Health Minister, the Care Minister as well as the police adult public protection team.

Again please note: unlike the complaint CP’s sent into you about the ex deputy manager HF anonymously we are all happy to put our name to this submission at Ms Phelps fitness to hold a nursing licence.

Section 5: Consent to disclose

To undertake our investigation, we require your consent to send a copy of your referral and associated information to the relevant nurse or midwife, their employer and any other relevant party as required. We also require your consent for any healthcare provider holding relevant information about your referral (including medical or nursing notes) to disclose that information to us as required for our investigation.

Nursing and Midwifery Council Page 5 of 6 An important aspect of our work is to protect the public. Because of this, we can sometimes share someone’s personal data with others in order to progress an investigation or to report safeguarding concerns. By signing (or typing your name) and dating below, you give us consent to disclose this referral form and supporting information and any other information you provide during the course of our investigation. We will be unable to use this referral form and attached documents without your consent.

Signed Christine Ward Date 09 – 03 - 2016

Next steps

Thank you for completing this form. There are four ways to send the completed information to us.

1 By email: Type your full name in the signature box, save this form and attach the file to an email, together with electronic copies of supporting evidence, to [email protected]

2 By email and post: Send this form as in option 1 above, but send hard copies of the supporting evidence and a signed, printed copy of this form to the address below.

3 By fax: Send this form and faxed copies of supporting evidence to 020 7580 3410

4 By post. Please seal it in an envelope, along with copies of the supporting evidence, and send it to:

Nursing and Midwifery Council Screening Manager Fitness to Practise 1 Kemble Street London WC2B 4AN

We will write to let you know we have received your referral and that we are considering it. We will then keep you informed about what is happening.

If the nature of your referral falls outside the NMC's remit, we will put you in contact with the appropriate body.

Note you can use the above contact detail to contact the NMC if you have an issue you want to make a complaint about but as you see it is a lengthy process.

Nursing and Midwifery Council Page 6 of 6