A DEMENTIA patient choked to death on liquid medication left within his reach by a care home nurse who then failed to resuscitate him, a tribunal heard.

Elizabeth Corser left the medicine on the man's bedside table while on duty at the 60-bed Beechwood Care Home in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, on March 28 last year.

Corser then failed to perform CPR on the pensioner while an ambulance was called and he later died, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) heard.

But Corser escaped a ban when she was handed a five year caution order after the NMC panel accepted it was an isolated incident.

The man, referred to as Resident A, was elderly and suffered from dementia, chronic kidney disease, type two diabetes, and had recently suffered from pneumonia.

On the day of his death he was receiving liquid food, as he was having trouble chewing and swallowing.

Corser had left the medication on a table next to him as she went to treat another patient.

When she returned she found the resident's face had gone red, his lips were blue and the glass was empty.

She thought he was choking so laid him on his side and slapped his back.

After finding the patient did not have a pulse Corser called an ambulance, placed him in a wheelchair and took him to his room.

The nurse later said she did not perform CPR as she believed a 'Do Not Attempt Resuscitation Order' was in place, and it covered incidents like choking.

She admitted leaving Resident A unattended with medicine in reach, not promptly commencing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and that her actions caused the loss of a material chance to prevent Resident A's death.

In a statement, Corser said: "I can truly say that if my actions that day had been different he may still be alive.

"My actions were never meant to have the outcome they have and I can say that I have never maliciously set out to harm anyone. However, I realise that my actions that day have touched/affected many people's lives, none more so than Resident A and his family and this I truly regret.

"I have made mistakes that I can clearly and honestly say will never happen again within my practice."

NMC panel chair Cindy Barnett said: "You have made early admissions to the charges against you. You have taken steps to remediate your misconduct, through relevant training."