A custody nurse at a Lincoln police station has been suspended after a ‘deplorable’ list of misconduct. Paul Bright admitted to failing to refer a vulnerable able patient with a head injury to hospital, and didn’t assess another patient with diabetes who had suffered a seizure whilst in custody.
Mr Bright also failed to properly record medication on several occasions, and was once caught lying about checks that he had not done. The Nursing and Midwifery Council said that his conduct had fallen far below what was required for medical professionals in a hearing earlier this month.
He has been suspended for six months, with an interim suspension order for another 18 months. Mr Bright was employed by CRG Forensic Medical Services, a company that supplies medical personnel to police forces.
Mr Bright was charged with nine breaches while working at Lincoln custody suite between November 2018 and June 2020, along with another four from a previous job at an alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre in Barnsley. He had been fired from his earlier role after a previous disciplinary hearing.
The panel heard that on one occasion while working for Lincolnshire Police, he didn’t send a patient with an unknown head injury to hospital. He also failed to carry out a 60-minute review of a patient suffering from alcohol withdrawal, then falsely claimed that he had.
During the pandemic, he didn’t refer a patient to hospital, despite concerns they had Covid-19. In February 2020, CRG gave Mr Bright a personal improvement plan to address the areas of concern. This was extended as mistakes continued to be made.
Mr Bright admitted to all charges at both his current and past job, and the NMC said it had no choice but to suspend him. A report on the hearing concluded: “The registrant’s actions gave rise to a significant risk of harm to patients in failing to administer correct medications, properly record medication and incidents, and in failing to adequately assess and care for patients, particularly vulnerable patients that required regular checks.”
The report continued to heavily criticise Mr Bright’s conduct. It read: “The registrant’s failings would be viewed as deplorable by a fellow nurse, and accordingly, must constitute misconduct.”
A panel was told that he had personal and family issues at the time. Mr Bright didn’t appear in person, but said in a statement that he had never intended to cause harm.
The nurse said: “I reiterate my utmost and heartfelt apology to the service users and to those colleagues at the time who were affected. I have never intentionally throughout my nursing career ever set out to cause any harm, upset, or detriment to any service user for whom I have a duty of care for.
“I personally endeavour to formulate a relationship based on trust and candour. I always adhere to codes of practice as laid down by the NMC and keep myself up to date with self-learning and employer-provided courses,”
Mr Bright does not intend to return to the nursing profession. Lincolnshire Police and CRG Forensic Medical Services have been approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service for comment.
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