A Fife nurse who failed to escalate abuse claims and ignored complaints from families in her role as a care home manager has been struck off.
Sarah Nyamadzawo was removed from the register following a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing on Monday.
She admitted 11 charges, seven of which were from when she worked as a home manager at Craighead Nursing Home in Newport-on-Tay in 2018 and 2019.
It was found that Nyamadzawo’s conduct placed residents at unwarranted risk of harm, finding her conduct to be “extremely serious” and lacking “integrity” and “trustworthiness”.
Charges brought against Fife nurse included failure to investigate misconduct claims
While at Craighead, Nyamadzawo was informed that a staff member inserted a catheter in a resident despite not being authorised.
She was instructed to conduct a formal investigation meeting with the employee and obtain statements from witnesses, but failed to send a letter informing the worker of the investigation into their conduct, conduct an investigation meeting or complete an investigation report.
As home manager, Nyamadzawo was responsible for ensuring incidents were properly investigated.
A resident’s daughter claimed their parent had been abused, and had bruising that looked like finger marks on their body.
Nyamadzawo failed to report two incidents concerning the abuse of residents, which should have been escalated to the council and Care Inspectorate.
She was reminded that this breached the home’s accident management policy.
Dishonest Fife nurse struck off nursing register
Nyamadzawo’s persistent lack of carrying out procedures continued after 15 care plan audits were not completed in May 2019.
Once suspended, her replacement found that several relatives hoped to discuss complaints they had raised with Nyamadzawo.
More than one complaint was raised regarding one resident’s hygiene.
The wife of another resident complained after finding her husband’s door blocked by chairs and tables.
A daughter of a resident also complained that she found blood, faeces and urine stains on her mother’s bed on several occasions.
Nyamadzawo did not take action or investigate any of the complaints.
Nyamadzawo left sensitive items out
The regional director for the home found Nyamadzawo’s office door unlocked during a visit.
A handwritten note on the desk said: “faecal matter on zimmer, blood spots on mattress, wet pants in drawer, daughter complained on Sunday”.
Protecting Vulnerable Groups forms, outpatient letters, prescriptions and other sensitive documents were scattered across the office.
Evacuation documents had wrong names
A document with important details about the residents used in case of evacuation also had the wrong number and names of residents, and incorrectly listed them all as wheelchair users.
The emergency grab bag, to be used in evacuations, wasn’t fully stocked.
Fire induction records and certificates were also not up to date.
During another visit, nurses raised concerns regarding one of the residents who was due for a catheter change.
No one had contacted the GP surgery for four days, which could have increased the risk of infection.
Nyamadzawo was later suspended from the care home.
Dishonest Fife nurse struck off nursing register
A further three charges came after Nyamadzawo’s time at Craighead.
While suspended, she applied for a staff role elsewhere, recording her last employment as 2016 – 2017, claiming the gap between 2018 and 2019 was “due to personal health reasons”.
She said the gap was due to her becoming widowed when interviewed for the post, which she subsequently got.
The home later found that she had lied after the NMC requested information from the home’s owners, Care UK.
In 2019, Nyamadazwo claimed that her workload was “too much” and that she never meant to put anyone at harm.
Four Seasons Healthcare Group, which employed Nyamadzawo, and Craighead Nursing Home have been approached for comment.
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