Stepping Hill nurse accused over patient deaths suspended for 18 months

Nursing council orders suspension of Rebecca Leighton to protect profession’s reputation after ‘very serious allegations’ A hospital nurse facing six charges over the unexplained deaths of patients has been suspended for 18 months by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Rebecca Leighton, 27, who worked at Stepping Hill hospital in Hazel Grove, Stockport, was arrested last month. She is alleged to have contaminated intravenous saline solution with insulin. The NMC panel imposed the maximum 18-month interim suspension of her registration at a hearing in London on Tuesday. Neither Leighton, who has been remanded in custody, nor her solicitor attended the hearing. The panel said the contamination of intravenous fluids with insulin may have contributed to the deaths of several patients at Stepping Hill. Leighton faces six counts of causing damage with intent to endanger life or being reckless to whether life is endangered and one charge of theft of medicine. Panel chairman John Unsworth said: “The panel consider that these are very serious allegations which strike at the heart of the principle that patients should be able to trust nurses to safeguard their health and wellbeing and do nothing which would endanger their safety. “If the alleged behaviour was to be repeated there would be a real risk of significant harm to patients because of hypoglycaemia. For this reason the panel considers that some from of order is necessary for protection of the public.” An order was also judged to be in the public interest to prevent any further damage to the reputation of the nursing profession and to safeguard the public’s confidence in the NMC and the regulatory process. The 18-month order allows the criminal proceedings to be concluded and the NMC to carry out its own investigation into the allegations. On Monday, it emerged that hundreds of people are being interviewed as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the Stepping Hill deaths. Leighton appeared at Manchester crown court via videolink from prison. She spoke only to confirm her name. Police are investigating claims the insulin-tainted saline caused sudden and inexplicable drops in patients’ blood sugar levels. The inquiry into events at the hospital is likely to be lengthy and detailed, with hundreds of patient records being scrutinised. A provisional trial date has been set for 28 February next year and Leighton will appear before the court on 17 October for a plea and case management hearing. At Monday’s court hearing, Peter Wright, QC, prosecuting, said detectives were arranging to interview several hundred patients and staff. He said 600 exhibits are also being examined along with many documents recovered from the hospital, including patient records. This would take months. He added that toxicology and pathology results were still to be released. Wright was part of the prosecution team in the case of serial killer GP Harold Shipman 11 years ago. The Stepping Hill case centres on the suspicious deaths last month of Tracey Arden, 44, Arnold Lancaster, 71, Derek Weaver, 83, and Vera Pearson, 84. Crime Nursing Health Helen Carter guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 2, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.