Stafford Hospital nurses guilty over death as patient not given insulin
Two nurses who failed to give insulin to a diabetic patient who later died at Stafford Hospital have been found guilty of misconduct.
Senior staff nurse Ann King and ward manager Jeannette Coulson at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust site did not check Gillian Astbury's notes when she was admitted following a fall which fractured her pelvis. They could now be struck off.
Mrs Astbury, aged 66, of Hednesford, was denied insulin for 48 hours and she fell into a coma with 'off the chart' blood sugar levels after being admitted to Stafford in 2007, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.
The pair never checked her records and later claimed they had no idea the pensioner was diabetic.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council yesterday found the pair's fitness to practice was impaired and they are both guilty of misconduct. They now must wait until the autumn to find out what sanctions they will face, although both have since retired from the profession.
Coulson, who was responsible for levels of care on the ward, and King were both found guilty of a series of failures between 2005 and 2010, including swearing at patients and lying about putting fresh dressings on wounds.
NMC panel chairman James Daniell said King had committed clinical failings 'over a protracted period' and that her fitness to practise was impaired'.
Mr Daniell said Coulson had 'lost sight of her managerial duties' and as a result her fitness to practise was impaired.
King and Coulson were hauled before the professional regulator after a healthcare worker and a staff nurse blew the whistle on their poor nursing standards.
Mrs Astbury was admitted to Stafford Hospital a week after suffering a stroke on April 1, 2007. She did not receive insulin for 48 hours, and was discovered collapsed in bed at 10.30pm on April 10.
The inquest at Stafford Coroner's Court in September 2010 found the pensioner had slipped into a coma. Jurors concluded that the failure to administer insulin to the patient amounted to a gross failure to provide basic care. Earlier this year the Health and Safety Executive launched a criminal investigation into the death.
King denied all allegations against her at the NMC hearing, while Coulson admitted using inappropriate language and replacing a sign that stated what times relatives could speak to staff after it had been taken down.
Meanwhile, Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed that Tracy White, who was struck off for falsifying A&E discharge times last week, had left her post with immediate effect.
