IRRAL NEWS W BIRKENHEAD EDITION
STRICTLY A STAR
Austin reveals his Ritzy dance nights
www.wirralnews.co.uk
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
STAFF NURSE STRUCK OFF
Bosses reported worker after she made a catalogue of errors
AN INCOMPETENT nurse has been struck off the medical register after being reported by her own bosses.
See page 3
AWARDS DELIGHT
Health chiefs in Wirral said they had no choice but to report Michelle Williams, 26, of Birkenhead, to ensure she could never work as a nurse anywhere in the country again.
Guides get top Griffin accolade See page 5
TIME TO SHINE
● Wirral News reporter Chris Smith joins John Lambert and Chris Bailey from Jack Rabbit Slims to try some of the food lined up for the bushtucker trial Photos by Paul Heaps Code ph241008h-2
Grubs up - literally! By LORNA HUGHES
Village chef is in the spotlight See page 32
FUSSY eaters need not apply for this challenge! St John’s Hospice is holding its very own “bush tucker trial” in Hoylake next month inspired by hit television show I’m a Celebrity..Get Me Out of Here! The trial takes place on Sunday, November 30 and will begin with a starter of Stilton cheese, octopus, raw garlic and rollmop herrings.
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Organisers are keeping the rest of the menu under wraps until the night but are promising the ultimate in jungle dining for those brave enough to take on the task including edible insects and eyeballs! Lynne Hamilton, fundraising co-ordinator, said: “We are looking for eight people to take part. They will be served an authentic bush tucker meal of strange and unusual tasting foods and, as always, some surprises. Everyone will be asked to raise as much sponsor money for the hospice as possible. Wirral News reporter Chris Smith went along to Jack
Rabbit Slims to try some of the bushtucker fare being served up on the night. He said: “While journalists usually love free food, this was one lot of grub which I didn’t relish. It looked disgusting on the plate and tasted even more disgusting. However, it was all for a good cause so I can’t complain too much!” Tickets to watch the event are £3 in advance and £5 on the night, available from Jack Rabbits or from the fundraising office at St John’s Hospice. For more information call Lynne on 343 0778.
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WE WILL BEAT ANY QUOTE
Her catalogue of mistakes included failing to check medication before it was given to a patient, resulting in an overdose, and setting up a blood transfusion for a patient who did not need one. Her bosses at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, which runs Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals, reported her to the Nursing and Midwife Council’s professional conduct committee. She was struck off last week after the committee found she had no recognition how serious her errors were, despite expressing “some regret” for what happened. Ms Williams was employed as a staff nurse from October 2004 to June 2006. The committee heard during this time she: ● Failed to give medication to a patient, which may have resulted in the patient having to spend a longer period in hospital. ● Failed to check the dose of medication administered to a patient, resulting in an overdose. ● Collected blood and set up a blood transfusion for a patient when this had not been prescribed for them. ● Attempted to carry out a heart monitor (ECG) without knowing how to. ● Deliberately misled colleagues by saying a patient had been washed when she knew this was wrong. ● Failed to administer medication to a patient, instead leaving the medication lying around on the ward. A Nursing and Midwifery Council spokesman said: “She was in breach of her duty of care to her patients, who were entitled to receive safe and competent care. “She failed to maintain accurately health care records and failed to provide adequate care for the patients for whom she was caring. “In undertaking an ECG, without having the knowledge to do so, she failed to acknowledge the limits of her professional competence.” A Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Trust spokesman said: “The individual is no longer employed as a nurse by us. “She agreed to be transferred to non-clinical duties. The close level of supervision of all newly-qualified nurses means any errors can be identified before they impact on patients. There is no suggestion in this case anyone came to harm.”
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