The nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital tried to give a patient linctus (cough syrup) rather than lactulose (a laxative)
A London nurse nearly gave patients the wrong medications and did not speak good enough English to practise, a tribunal has found.
The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital employee tried to give one of her patients a cough syrup rather than medication for treating constipation, according to a colleague. Maureen Jindu Ugbah struggled with English so much that it was virtually impossible to communicate with patients and colleagues, the tribunal heard.
Ms Ugbah, who did not attend the hearing, was handed a 12-month suspension order by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The nurse had begun working at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust on July 3, 2023.
On July 28, she tried to give a patient cough syrup rather than a laxative, the tribunal heard.
In a contemporary statement, Mr Ridings, who is Practice Development Nurse on the Acute Assessment Unit, wrote: “She also picked up a bottle of simple linctus [cough syrup] instead of lactulose [a laxative] and would have administered this if she had been unsupervised.”
Mr Ridings told the tribunal Ms Ugbah had also used the term ‘flu’ instead of ‘fluid’ and ‘indecently’ instead of ‘independently’.
Ms Ugbah alleged that concerns raised about her ability to practise were at least in part motivated by racism. In a written statement, she told the tribunal that she had studied her degree in English at the University of West London.
However, the panel found no evidence that the concerns raised by the trust were motivated by racism. It concluded that she lacked the necessary knowledge and English Language skills to practise as a nurse.
The panel also found an allegation of misconduct – based on a redacted matter – to be proven. This relates to an investigation which Ms Ugbah did not engage with, the tribunal heard.
In total, Ms Ugbah faced 36 separate sub charges relating to her performance while at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Seven of these were found not proven, largely because the evidence was insufficient, or because they concerned specialist knowledge not expected of a newly qualified Band 5 nurse.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has not yet responded to the Local Democracy Reporting Service’s request for comment.
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