Drinking allegation against nurse is withdrawn

An allegation that a former nursing director at a Longford old people’s home had worked while under the influence of alcohol, has been withdrawn by the Nursing and Midwifery Board.

The hearing was also told that record keeping of the administration of drugs to patients at Thomond Lodge nursing home in Ballymahon, Co Longford, "contained errors" and was "less than perfect", in August 2012.

Nurse Mary Elizabeth Mealy who was employed as director of nursing at Thomond Lodge is facing charges of professional misconduct which initially included allegations that she had worked while intoxicated, and that she failed to administer prescribed medication to patients.

However at the start of the second day of a fitness to practise hearing the accusation of being intoxicated was withdrawn.

Patrick Leonard SC for the chief executive of the Nursing Board said a consultant psychiatrist's report on Mr Mealy did not support the allegation. As a result he was withdrawing the allegation of intoxication, he said.

Dr Ciaran Creaven SC for Ms Mealy, said the allegation was very damaging and should never have been made. He said the Nursing and Midwifery Board had been in possession of the consultant’s report, at least since July of this year.

Yet, he said, the allegation had been repeated as recently as Thursday, on the opening day of the hearing.

Dr Creaven said the allegation was “outrageous” with no evidence to support it, and was being withdrawn at a late stage.

In relation to the administration of prescribed medicines clinical nurse manager at Thomond Lodge Sarah Murray said she was suspicious of Ms Mealy’s behaviour on August 22, 2012.

Ms Murray told the hearing she was on duty with Ms Mealy and they were caring for 24 patients each. She said she saw Ms Mealy with a black bin bag tied to her medication trolly and instructed cleaning staff that the bag should not be dumped when Ms Mealy went home.

Ms Murray said she went with the owner of the nursing home Sean Kelly to the bin area and he photographed the contents of the bin bag which included medication for cardiac conditions and pain killers, which should have been prescribed to patients. She said there was no note in the records that medication had not been administered and no record of the patients’ GPs being consulted.

However Dr Creaven said “errors were made” and similar failures to keep proper records were made by Ms Murray herself, among others, and the “general standard of drug administration was less than perfect”.

Ms Murray agreed this was so.

Me Murray said she had instanced Ms Mealy’s record keeping without reference to everybody else’s, because “hers were being examined, that is why”.

Pressed as to her own record keeping Ms Murray asked “am I on trial, now”.

The hearing is continuing at the headquarters of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland in Blackrock and continues on Tuesday.