Nurse at Wolverhampton home struck off for failing to give CPR insisting it was 'too late'
A 'dishonest' nurse who failed to resuscitate a dying patient – insisting it was 'too late' – has been struck off.
Jacqueline Alison Hough was working at Pennfields Court Nursing Home, in Wolverhampton, in October 2014 when she failed to carry out CPR on the patient.
The nurse faced claims that a health worker told her the patient was 'for resuscitation', to which she replied: "She's passed away. It's too late, she's gone."
Ms Hough claimed that attempting CPR on the patient would have been a 'cruel act', given her fragile health and poor quality of life.
A doctor had said of the patient that 'in light of her health her death was not completely unexpected'.
But a Nursing and Midwifery Council panel has now ruled Ms Hough guilty of misconduct and ordered her removal from the nursing register.
Ms Hough, the panel found, had failed to resuscitate because she 'made an assumption' that a 'do not automatically resuscitate notice' was in place.
"You did not know the patient's medical history at the time of the (cardiac) arrest and therefore you were under a duty to perform CPR, which you did not do," the panel found.
In 2008, she had also been cautioned by police for shoplifting perfume from Boots and a jumper and a necklace from Debenhams. And the panel said she had shown 'persistent dishonesty' in 'attempting to cover' up the cautions, failing to declare them to the NMC.
Striking her off, the panel found that allowing her to stay on the register would 'undermine public confidence'.
The striking off order was temporarily suspended to give time for Ms Hough to mount a possible appeal.
