Nurse burned patient's penis with 'acid-like' liquid

A nurse has been struck off for misconduct after applying a burning liquid which felt like "acid" to a patient's penis.

A panel found nurse Andrew Jonathan Davies "had intimidated, humiliated and caused fear and psychological harm" to a paralysed patient whose condition meant he could only communicate with his eyes.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) committee upheld all nine allegations made against Davies, regarding his treatment of the patient who was being treated at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil in 2021 for an auto-immune condition.

Davies, a nurse with 40 years' experience, "vehemently" denied the accusations, and suggested the patient was having "false memories".

The patient - known as Patient A to protect his identity - was admitted to the intensive therapy unit (ITU) at Prince Charles Hospital in April 2021, suffering with abdominal pain, possible sepsis and signs of cardiac arrest.

He was later diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an auto-immune disorder which affects the peripheral nervous system and can cause paralysis.

As a result of his GBS, the patient was paralysed, placed on a ventilator and sedated.

After remaining in the ITU for 143 days - nearly five months - the patient was taken off sedation and moved to another ward where he was cared for by Davies, an experienced adult care nurse, between 5 May and 27 June.

During this period, the committee heard rough handling by the agency nurse was such that it left the patient "crying out in pain" - but his condition meant his ability to communicate his feelings was limited.

"Patient A told Person B (his wife) that you [Davies] had pulled his foreskin back resulting in pain," the panel heard.

"He stated that you had squeezed his penis and put a solution on his penis which burned him."

The panel found it proved that on one or more occasions Davies had used a product to clean Patient A's penis "which was not clinically justified".

Attempts by the patient to convey his distress to Davies, by using his eyes or nodding his head from side-to-side, resulted in the nurse swearing at him and admonishing: "Don't... roll your eyes at me!".

During his rehabilitation, Patient A also maintained Davies deliberately hurt him by pushing his head and neck "too far" when repositioning him "on every shift" where he was his allocated nurse, as well as ripping electrodes from his chest and pulling faces which suggested he knew he was causing the patient pain.

When Patient A informed a visitor about what was happening, an investigation was launched, resulting in Davies being dismissed by the Richmond Nursing Agency Ltd in July 2021.

Davies, who worked at Prince Charles Hospital, via the agency, between 2020 and 2021, denied all the allegations.

The nurse - who was neither present or represented at the NMC hearing, which concluded on 20 November - suggested Patient A had suffered from "associated false memories, given his type of illness and the period he was in ITU".

He also claimed Patient A had held a grudge against the nurse because Davies had once refused him "a drink of squash, due to the potential risk of aspiration and infection".

But the panel, which took evidence from the patient, his wife and hospital staff, dismissed Davies' claims and found all the allegations proven.

It found Patient A was put at risk and was caused physical and emotional harm as a result of Davies' misconduct.

Representing the NMC, Giedrius Kabasinskas said Davies' actions were intended to and/or had the effect of intimidating, humiliating and causing fear to Patient A as well as causing physical and/or psychological harm to him.

The NMC said the nurse had not acknowledged the impact of his actions, all of which he still denied happened.

Its report concluded that, given the seriousness of the case, "the only proportionate sanction to protect the public" was to strike Davies off the NMC register as both as an adult care nurse and an orthopaedic nurse.

"Patient A relied completely on you and other nurses for his care, and you abused this position," it said.

A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said: "The safety and dignity of our patients is of paramount importance.

"We can confirm that a professional issue involving an agency nurse was raised back in 2021. As soon as the Health Board was made aware of the allegations, the individual was immediately stopped from working, and all appropriate professional, safeguarding, and regulatory escalation processes were followed."