A nurse in the UK lost her job after it was discovered that she had been involved in a year-long affair with a patient. The affair ended tragically when the patient died during a sexual encounter with the nurse in the hospital parking lot in Wrexham, Wales.
According to Fox News, the patient was receiving dialysis treatment and suffered a heart attack during the late-night meeting in January of the previous year.
The nurse, Penelope Williams, 42, failed to call for an ambulance when the patient collapsed in the back of his car.
Penelope Williams, 42, failed to call for an ambulance when the patient collapsed in the back of his car
An investigation was launched, and a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness-to-practice panel conducted a hearing. During the hearing, it was revealed that Williams had disregarded advice from colleagues who had urged her to call for an ambulance.
The patient had initially met Williams while receiving treatment for his condition.
Instead of immediately calling emergency services, Williams contacted a colleague, who then insisted on calling an ambulance.
However, Williams delayed in doing so, and it was ultimately the colleague who made the emergency call. When the ambulance arrived, they discovered Patient A had passed away.
According to The Telegraph, Williams initially informed the police and a paramedic that the patient had messaged her on Facebook, stating that he felt unwell. She claimed to have spent around “30 to 45 minutes” in the back of his car, engaging in “just talking.”
During the initial February hearing, she testified that the patient started groaning and suddenly died.
Despite being aware that the patient was under her care as a dialysis patient at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Williams concealed her year-long affair with him.
The board ruled that “Mrs Williams’ actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register.”
“The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Mrs Williams’ actions were so serious that to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and the NMC as a regulatory body.”
