Nurse describes moment she discovered colleague had taped patient’s mouth

A male nurse “half-smiled” like he had been “caught in the act” after taping a patient’s mouth, a nursing colleague yesterday told the inquiry arising out of the incident.

Registered nurse Tracey Ryan said she discovered her colleague Bimbo Paden had covered a patient's mouth with surgical tape when she looked through the curtains around a bed in St John's community hospital in Sligo on June 26th, 2013.

Having put her head through the curtains to inform Mr Paden it was time for his break, she saw there was surgical tape going from one side of the patient’s mouth to the other. The patient was lying down with his eyes open and Mr Paden was standing over him.

The amount of tape was enough to keep his mouth closed and to stop air getting into his mouth, she told the fitness-to-practise hearing into Mr Paden.

Shocking

Ms Ryan described the scene as pretty shocking and said she wanted to get the patient away from the person who had done this. She said Mr Paden said something to the effect of “it’s only been on for a minute” and that he would take it off. She looked at Mr Paden briefly but her main aim was to remove the patient to a safe place.

Asked how Mr Paden appeared, she said: “I saw a face that had been caught in the act.” There was “a half-smile”, she added. She couldn’t remember any more detail but moved the patient to an armchair using a hoist, with Mr Paden’s assistance.

‘Fearful’

She said the patient, who is unable to talk or communicate verbally, “looked fearful”.

She agreed with Noel Whelan, barrister for Mr Paden, that the staffing situation "wasn't great". The hospital had started an enthusiastic social model of care but with the staffing level available staff could only provide for basic needs of patients. The hearing continues today.