PATIENTS in a nursing home were sedated with unprescribed drugs, it was claimed at an inquest in Portlaoise yesterday. The allegation was made by a nurse at the Aisling nursing home in Portlaoise, where an elderly male patient died in August 1995.
The inquest has been told by Dr Margaret Ann Bolster, assistant state pathologist, that a combination of three drugs accelerated the death on August 26th 1995 of Mr Frank Burke (86), from Killamuck, Co Laois. One of these drugs, pethidine, was a controlled drug for which there was no prescription. Pethidine and another drug, promazine, were present at toxic levels in the elderly man's blood.
In evidence yesterday on the second day of the reconvened inquest, Nurse Kathleen Shiel said that in August 1995 there were 16 patients in the nursing home, even though it was registered for only 13. On some of these days two to three patients would be removed early in the day and brought back in the evening.
She contacted the health board about the nursing home.
Nurse Shiel said that when she went to his room on Thursday morning, August 24th, Mr Burke appeared to be unconscious. She passed a remark to Maureen Carroll that she thought he was sedated. Prior to this, she said, she knew that "patients had been sedated who had not been prescribed drugs".
She alleged that Mrs Gorman was under a lot of stress at the time. "She made inquiries but there was no one who could be sent home. Because of that I was worried about Mr Burke. Drugs were being administered to people who had not been prescribed drugs. I asked Dr Nora Whelan to come over."
Nurse Shiel said that she had had a meeeting with Eleanor Dowling from the health board and Nora Breslin. She also spoke to Dr Callan.
She alleged that the patients were being sedated by Mrs Gorman. "I did not see it being done. She would tell me afterwards that she had given such and such to such a one."
Mr John Phelan, barrister for the former nursing home owner, Mrs Philomena Gorman, said there was an agenda there to discredit Mrs Gorman and that Mrs Shiel was up to her neck in it. Mrs Shiel agreed that she was in dispute with Mrs Gorman over a deposit paid for the nursing home.
She said that on the Thursday she had crushed two DF 118 tablets and mixed them with water before administering them by syringe into Mr Burke's mouth. She did not administer sparine (promazine).
When she returned to work on Friday Mr Burke appeared to be better. Mrs Gorman asked her for the keys to the medicine press. She passed Mr Burke's room and the door was closed. When she entered the room Mrs Gorman was standing at the sink. She noticed two empty 100 ml sparine bottles at the sink. Mrs Gorman said to her: "Empty bottles. I am tired of ye leaving your bottles in the press, I am washing them out."
There were three syringes on a tray in Mr Burke's locker; one was unsealed, Nurse Shiel said. She had used the unsealed syringe the previous day to administer DF 118 and she had left it there.
When she returned between 11 a.m. and noon to wash Mr Burke and turn him he seemed to be deeply unconscious. At 6 p.m. that evening he was extremely ill. She returned to work on Sunday and after inquiring was informed by Mrs Gorman that Mr Burke had died on Saturday at 11.30 am. She had already been informed by Mrs Maureen Carroll that Mr Burke had died at 4 a.m.
Mrs Alice Walsh, a nurse's aide, told the inquest that Mrs Gorman administered 40 ml of sparine to Mr Burke on Wednesday, August 23rd, at approximately 10 p.m. The sparine was put in his mouth and lemonade was used with a syringe to wash it down. Afterwards Mrs Gorman cleaned his tongue with a tooth brush and water. She asked Mrs Gorman why she was doing this and Mrs Gorman replied that she had to do it.
Under cross-examination Mrs Walsh said Mrs Gorman was "under pressure" from the health board. She was under financial pressure. Over-crowding was one of the problems. It involved moving patients about during the day in case health board officials called and found she was operating in breach of the licensing conditions.
The inquest continues.