Nurse Robin Pavaday struck off after social workers find seriously ill resident in care home

Nurse Robin Pavaday has been struck off the register, at his request, after social workers found a resident seriously ill at Hurstead House Nursing Home.

Social Workers found the patient, who had Parkinson’s disease in a “very poor state of health” when they visited the home on Halifax Road in September 2011.

The resident, who is known as Resident A in the disciplinary proceedings, was described as being “in poor condition, his colour was pale and he clearly required a GP visit as a matter of urgency.”

At a hearing held on Friday 6 February, Pavaday accepted that he “delayed in making arrangements for a GP to attend”, which given the resident's state of health, was “unacceptable and a potentially dangerous delay”.

Pavaday also accepted that it was “inappropriate” of him to delay administering prescribed drugs to the patient.

As part of the Social Worker's visit, Pavaday was asked to demonstrate moving and handling techniques which he used on the resident. It was noted that the resident had been having severe pain in his arms and that there were concerns that this could be the result of poor practice with moving and handling the resident.

The resident died two days later as a result of the advance stage effects of Parkinson’s disease.

Following the incident, Pavaday resigned and was suspended as a nurse by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

He has now been struck off entirely.

In disciplinary documents, the NMC’s Conduct and Competence Committee said: “You said to the panel that you are very sorry about what happened and that you have thought very hard about your current situation and that, for health and other reasons, you have decided that you are 100% sure that you will never seek to return to work in a caring environment.

“You told the panel that for this reason, a further period of suspension would serve no purpose. Rather, you wished the panel to impose a Striking-Off Order.

“The panel found you to be genuine in your expression of remorse and was appreciative of the efforts you made to attend the hearing in person.

“The panel recognised that you have used your period of suspension to reflect and that you have fully considered the options open to this panel today. It accepted that you have fully understood the implication of a Striking-Off Order.

“In all the circumstances, the panel has therefore accepted your contention that a Striking-Off Order is now an appropriate and proportionate sanction that is in your best interests while still protecting the public and maintaining public confidence in the profession and the NMC as a regulator.”

The striking off will come into effect at the end of Pavaday’s suspension on 11 March 2015.