NHS nurse slapped aged and vulnerable Parkinson’s sufferer in the experience continuously, court docket hears 

A nurse slapped an 80-12 months-outdated susceptible client with Parkinson’s Condition in the confront repeatedly as he lay in his hospital mattress, a court has listened to.

Primrose James, 51, of Victoria Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex is on trial at Swansea Crown Court docket for sick-dealing with a person who lacks capability at Withybush Clinic in Haverfordwest, Wales on Might 31, 2022.

It is alleged that James assaulted Dennis Warlow even though helping with his personal care, starting to be aggressive following he hit out at a further workers member.

James denies the demand and claims to have been acting in self-defence.

Mr Warlow had been a affected person on the hospital’s orthopaedic ward since January that 12 months immediately after fracturing his hip, and was reported to be at periods violent and disruptive, the jury read on Wednesday.

Primrose James, 51, of Victoria Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex is on trial at Swansea Crown Court for unwell-treating a human being who lacks capacity at Withybush Healthcare facility (pictured) in Haverfordwest, Wales on May perhaps 31, 2022

The incident occurred just after Mr Warlow strike out at healthcare assistant Holly English and James, who have been doing work alongside one another to transform his bed linen.

Ms English said James then became aggressive, slapping him numerous moments to the left side of his confront, and making use of her index finger to forcefully poke his forehead.

She claimed James grew to become confrontational and though assaulting him informed him he was a ‘horrible, horrible man’.

Ms English explained she was still left ‘shocked’ by what she experienced witnessed and documented the incident that evening to major ward nurse Christine Schofield, who then informed ward sister Nicola Jones.

Opening the trial Sian Vaughan, prosecuting, reported: ‘He [Mr Warlow] suffers from Parkinson’s illness, he experienced many mobility issues and he was in simple fact deemed as possessing dropped potential or not having potential in April of that calendar year.

‘He was rather a vulnerable man, fairly frail. But he was a challenging affected individual who occasionally offered with behavioural troubles.

‘The defendant worked as a nurse and had completed so for a number of yrs.’

The prosecutor claimed James was an company nurse who had worked on the ward for all around two many years.

She claimed that, at all around 2am, Mr Warlow grew to become incontinent and the defendant helped Ms English to alter his sheets.

Ms English reported she rolled him in the direction of her and as she rolled him back again he tried out to strike James with his remaining hand.

Ms Vaughan stated: ‘Immediately, the prosecution say, Primrose James in retaliation or anger smacked Mr Warlow to the still left aspect of his facial area. She then slapped him many periods to his deal with, while telling him off for hitting out at her.

‘The prosecution will say she was aggressively poking at his forehead at the similar time. And in the course of this assault, she utilized words and phrases and was shouting at Mr Warlow expressing things like “you terrible, terrible guy”.

‘Finally, she pressed her fingers into the aspect of his nose with sufficient force to move his head.’

Ms Vaughan mentioned that when James was later approached by Ms Jones, the ward sister, she claimed: ‘I never hit patients’.

When she was later on interviewed about the incident, James explained Mr Warlow as a ‘difficult patient’ but said the only speak to she experienced with him that evening was when she blocked his arm from hitting her.

Supplying proof, Ms English stated: ‘As quickly as he [Mr Warlow] went to strike out at Primrose, Primrose slapped him throughout the facial area. She was fairly indignant and confrontational with him.

‘She slapped him a pair of occasions to his cheek and she begun poking him on his brow. It was fairly aggressive.

‘She then utilized her finger and pressed to the facet of his nose to push his encounter absent from her.’

‘I was stunned. I felt rather intimidated,’ she additional.

Ms Jones explained to the court docket that it was ‘never proper to strike or tap a patient’.

The court read Mr Warlow had strike staff at the medical center on various instances in advance of the alleged incident.

In the police interview, James explained to officers she experienced made use of her hand to block her from remaining hit by the affected person.

‘I was just trying to block him away from hitting me,’ she claimed.

‘It’s not the very first time he has hit me. I did not strike him. The only time I had make contact with with him is when I blocked him. I failed to poke him.’

Supplying evidence, James explained Mr Warlow as a ‘difficult patient’ who experienced earlier hit her in the experience and kicked her leg.

‘He would kick out, lash out, spit – he was tricky to manage,’ she told the jury.

The nurse of 16 decades insisted she did not strike or assault Mr Warlow and was not indignant at the time of the alleged incident.

‘I did not sick-address him,’ she explained. 

The trial, in entrance of Judge Huw Rees, proceeds.