Incompetent nurse suspended from Warwick Hospital - The Leamington Observer

Incompetent nurse suspended from Warwick Hospital

Leamington Editorial 20th Aug, 2014 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

A NURSE who put vulnerable patients at risk of ‘serious harm’ has been suspended due to lack of competence.

Richard Czauderna was employed by South Warwickshire Foundation Trust (SWFT) as a theatre nurse between October 2010 to March 2013 when he resigned prior to a disciplinary hearing.

On August 1, a panel at the Nursing and Midwifery Council in London decided to suspend him for 12 months after hearing he was incapable of working independently and was not even at the level of understanding expected of a student.

The former Warwick Hospital nurse admitted to charges including not knowing how to correctly move a patient and incorrectly communicating with those recovering from surgery.




He also admitted to a handful of other charges relating to lack of competence including not telling staff on handover that his patient’s heart had stopped during surgery.

It was not the first time the nurse was employed by SWFT. He also worked in the A&E department between for eight years up to 2010, when he resigned following a meeting about his ‘poor performance’, only to be re-employed soon afterwards as a theatre nurse.


The NMC panel concluded: “Mr Czauderna’s clinical failures were serious, wide-ranging and involved basic nursing practice including communication skills. The failures occurred over a significant period of time during which he received substantial support, supervision, mentoring and re-training by the trust.

“There was no evidence of actual patient harm caused by any of Mr Czauderna’s failures but these failures put patients at unwarranted risk of significant harm.”

SWFT have said they followed protocol regarding the nurse, giving him several training sessions and supervision from other members of staff.

A spokeswoman said: “We have robust procedures in place for when concerns are raised about the performance of a member of staff to ensure the safety of our patients. We followed these procedures in relation to Richard Czauderna and worked with him to explore options and look for a solution. Richard left the trust in March 2013 and following this we continued with our process and referred the case to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.”

Business Directory

From plumbers, to restaurants, we can provide you with all the info you need.

Announcements

Weddings, Birthdays, Bereavements, Thank you notices, Marriages and more.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Leamington Observer.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Leamington Observer.