A NURSE has been suspended from her duties for failing to giver proper care to a dying man.

Carol Welch did not give pressure care to the elderly man during a night shift at the Rosedale Nursing Home at Catterick Garrison.

She also failed to wipe dry blood from around his bottom lip or moisten his mouth, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.

The dying man was an extremely vulnerable patient nearing the end of his life and was entirely dependent on the staff, the panel was told.

A deep pressure sore was identified on the man's upper thigh on the morning of October 12, 2013, and Welch failed to turn him over for the entirety of her shift.

He also had dried blood on his bottom lip and his mouth was very dry, the hearing was told.

According to his care plan he should have been turned at various intervals throughout the night while his mouth should have been cleaned and moistened every two to four hours.

However there were no entries in the notes to show he had being given any mouth care.

Welch admitted not giving him pressure care - but felt she didn't need to as he was at the end of his life, the hearing was told. The patient died two days later.

Panel chair Tim Mann said: “It is clear from the care plan document that the resident should have been turned and should have received mouth care, neither of which Mrs Welch had done.

“His death had not been deemed imminent and therefore the care plan provided clear guidance that appropriate pressure care and mouth care should be provided.

“The panel considered that the resident had been harmed as a result of Mrs Welch's omissions.”

He said there were issues around the dignity of patients in the last days of life.

“The matters complained of related to basic and essential nursing care and there is no evidence that the shift was particularly busy,” he added.

Mrs Welch admitted the charges against her and although the panel said her actions had not been malicious she was suspended for six months.

Mr Mann said: “The panel considered it necessary for Mrs Welch to be temporarily removed from the NMC register as, at this time, it has not received sufficient evidence to be satisfied that Mrs Welch has remediated the concerns about her practice.”