Nurse injected pethidine on duty
- Nurse injects herself with pethadine on duty
- Calls patients sweetie, swings undies above head
- Nurse struck off for reckless behaviour
A NEW South Wales nurse who injected herself with pethidine while on duty and then called patients “sweetie” and “darling” while swinging underpants above her head has been struck off.
Lia Margaret Shelley, who worked at hospitals in the Newcastle region, was found guilty of professional misconduct after a series of complaints about her reckless behaviour.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives Tribunal banned Shelley, 53, for at least two years and nine months, but she appealed to the Supreme Court.
Last week, she lost her bid.
The court was told of a series of complaints while she worked at Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital.
They included the nurse rubbing and stroking a patient’s bottom, thigh and hip in an inappropriate manner while showering, and throwing a face washer and soap at his groin.
Shelley was alleged to have also thrown a shampoo bottle at a patient’s head and, contrary to the patient’s written medication, she gave her too much pethidine.
“After the patient had been showered, the nurse … swung (the patient’s) underpants above her head and laughed,” facts tendered to the court read.
On June 7, 2003, the court found she self-administered pethidine while on duty.
Her behaviour was blamed on the use of pethidine, which she said she had used to manage her migraine headaches.
Justice John Hislop was highly critical of Shelley, whom he said had provided nursing care when she was “adversely affected by drugs”.
Another complaint occurred at Warners Bay Private Hospital in 1998 when Shelley administered pethidine on several occasions when it had not been authorised or directed by a doctor.
The court found Shelley had mishandled drugs and failed to follow doctors’ orders.
This had persisted from 1998 to 2003, when she stopped practising as a nurse.
“She had put the lives, comfort and health of patients at risk,” Justice Hislop said.
Shelley also persuaded doctors to prescribe large amounts of pethidine for her.
She was sacked from the Warners Bay hospital for wilful misconduct in February, 1999.
She has not worked as a nurse since leaving John Hunter Hospital in 2003.
In her appeal, Shelley claimed the tribunal had failed to consider evidence showing her professionalism, and that the hospital did not properly investigate the allegations.
But Justice Hislop dismissed her claims
