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A care home manager from Ayrshire has been removed from the nursing register following the inappropriate and unnecessary restraint of a disabled resident in order to administer a vaccination. The incident occurred at Millport Care Centre on 19 February 2021 and was described during a tribunal hearing as “horrific,” leading to chaotic scenes at the facility.
Janette Donnelly, the manager involved, was found to have overlooked proper procedures by having a colleague inject the resident through her clothing. Donnelly subsequently instructed the colleague not to report this method of administration. The Nursing and Midwifery Council determined that her conduct was a serious deviation from the standards expected of nurses. Furthermore, Donnelly repeatedly gave a false and self-serving explanation to justify her actions on that day. Of the nine charges brought against her, seven were upheld, while two were dismissed.
On the vaccination day, a registered NHS nurse was present to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to residents. The individual at the centre of the incident, referred to as Service User A, had a learning disability. Although brief use of restraints had previously been allowed for feeding purposes, applying such force for the vaccine was deemed inappropriate. Earlier attempts to vaccinate the resident in the dining area had failed, leading to the injection being administered in her bedroom while Donnelly and two other staff restrained her on the floor. Testimonies described the woman as shouting and struggling intensely. One witness called the event “a horrific” sight and recounted how Donnelly restrained the resident’s head with her hands despite objections from others present.
Witnesses expressed discomfort with the level of force used. One confronted Donnelly, stating the restraint was unacceptable and was sworn at in response. Another witness felt unable to raise concerns about the restraint with fellow nurses. During the hearing, it was revealed Donnelly had instructed the nurse to inject the vaccine through the clothing and afterward agreed to keep this method secret. After the vaccine was given, the resident was released, at which point she ran down the corridor screaming and waving her hands, creating what was described as a “scene of chaos.”
Donnelly claimed ignorance of the fact the vaccine had been administered through clothing, a position the panel rejected as dishonest. The tribunal also determined that the vaccination was not urgent and could have been rescheduled, indicating no need for the forceful approach. The panel concluded that Donnelly’s actions endangered the resident physically and caused emotional distress both to Service User A and staff.
In her defense, Donnelly cited organizational pressure and the urgency to vaccinate everyone as factors that impaired her judgment. She admitted to compromising the resident’s dignity and right to refuse and expressed remorse, apologizing to the individual and her family. Donnelly described her behavior as a “gross error in judgement” and claimed no similar incidents had occurred in the four years since. However, the panel dismissed the notion that she was overwhelmed, concluding her conduct was motivated by a desire for convenience.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council concluded that her behavior represented a grave departure from professional standards, violating fundamental principles of nursing. Donnelly displayed “sustained deceit” through fabricated accounts, with the truth emerging only due to a whistleblower’s intervention. Given the severity of the breaches, the regulator ruled that striking her off the register was the only appropriate measure, subject to any appeal she might pursue
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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