A NURSE accused of bullying colleagues and patients on a hospital ward is said to have told a seriously ill woman: "If you were a dog, you would have been put down."

Julie Thompson, 44, is also said to have threatened to rip off a ward manager's head during a staff meeting at the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.

Ms Thompson, a senior staff nurse from Redcar, east Cleveland, faces a series of charges dating from 2003.

Ward manager Jayne Graham told the hearing: "At the time, we were working on ward 43, which has 16 beds and cares for the young chronic sick and complex, long-term rehabilitation patients.

"As ward manager, I organised the staff duty rota and carried out the appraisal process for my staff. Julie Thompson was having six-monthly appraisal meetings, which all my staff knew were not an arena for confrontation and criticism, but so the staff can establish their objectives and development for the coming months.

"Julie's appraisal was set for May 13, 2003, but that day she had come into the ward unhappy with something and was causing an atmosphere.

"At lunchtime, I asked her if she still wanted the appraisal to take place because she was obviously unhappy at something.

"She turned to me and said that she absolutely wanted it to go ahead because she had a number of issues with me.

"She said loudly in the middle of the ward 'I can't wait to get you into that room and sort you out' and while she said it, she was hitting her fist into the palm of her other hand. It was really menacing and threatening, in front of other staff and even patients' relatives."

Mrs Graham said that four months later, she organised a routine ward meeting that Ms Thompson attended despite being on holiday.

She said: "It had come to my attention that some of the staff were taking annual leave and lieu days without telling me and changing their shifts regularly.

"I was not referring to any one person in particular, just talking in general to my staff, but then Julie took offence and said: 'Are you talking about me?'

"I said no, but then she said 'You had better not be because if you are, I will rip your f****** head off and spit down your neck'.

"There was a deathly silence in the meeting. I was absolutely mortified and could not believe she had spoken to me like that in front of everyone."

Chris Alder, for the council, said that on August 12, a staff nurse was preparing tea and scones for the patients when an elderly lady became agitated.

The hearing was told Thompson shouted at the patient: "If you were a dog, you would have been put down. Instead, I'll smack your a**e."

Ms Thompson admits telling Mrs Graham 'don't spit your dummy out at me' in an incident in August 2003, but denies five other charges of using inappropriate language to staff and patients.

The hearing continues