A Tayside nurse has been accused of phoning the family of a patient to tell them he would pass away that day despite the patient having already died.
Staff nurse Darren Diplexcito, who worked at Ninewells Hospital’s ward 22 renal unit in Dundee, is alleged to have falsified records, given false information to the patient’s family and knowingly given false accounts to the head of nursing on several occasions three years ago.
Mr Diplexcito now faces a Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness-to-practise hearing next month over the incident, which took place on May 5 2011 at the hospital.
He is accused of failing to carry out or record observations of the man referred to as “Patient A” between 1am and 6am on his nightshift and lying about when he passed away.
The patient died at about 6am but, some 20 minutes later, Mr Diplexcito allegedly rang the deceased’s family to tell them he would die later that day, and when they arrived shortly after 7am is alleged to have told them they had just missed his passing.
The charges state that he “did not provide an accurate account of events, sequences and timing of Patient A’s death to his family, in that at around 6.20am, he telephoned a member of Patient A’s family and falsely informed him/her that Patient A had deteriorated throughout the night and was expected to pass away that day.
“At around 7am, telephoned a member of Patient A’s family and did not inform them that Patient A had passed away.
“When Patient A’s family arrived on the ward at approximately 7.20am, falsely informed them that they had ‘just missed (Patient A)’s passing’, or words to that effect.
“Falsely recorded that Patient A was found to be deceased at 7am, when you knew or ought to have known that Patient A was found to be deceased at around 6am.”
An investigation was carried out into the incident over the next year and Mr Diplexcito is also accused of “knowingly providing a falsified account of the events, sequence and timing of Patient A’s death to the head of nursing”.