Nurse struck off for 'hiding' during emergencies and not giving terminal cancer patient pain relief
A London nurse has been struck off after “hiding” during emergencies and not giving pain relief to a terminal cancer patient.
Xandra Ann De Leon Samson was struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Committee (NMC) and suspended for 18 months due to a wide range of medical issues at a hearing earlier this month.
The nurse worked at the Heart Assessment Centre (HAC) in Hammersmith Hospital between February 2016 and May 2018 before moving to Ealing Hospital in October 2018.
A report into the nurse’s misconduct said that by January 2019 “concerns about you were being raised on almost every shift”. She was suspended in April 2019.
In one case the nurse disappeared when an emergency patient was brought in to the hospital and that staff she worked with noted this “happens all the time”, the hearing heard.
On two occasions Ms Samson also refused to provide a terminal cancer patient with pain relief despite being asked to by a consultant and the patient’s family in January 2019.
The nurse said they did not give the medication due to concerns about cardiovascular risk.
A report into the nurse’s misconduct said: “The pharmacist also said that the doctor on shift had spoken to you and explained that the patient had terminal cancer and was on end-of-life care and that the medication benefits outweighed the risk.”
Other members of staff were forced to step in to make sure the patient had the necessary medication.
A witness, mentioned in the 272 page report, explained that the nurse “often refused to provide prescribed medication to patients”.
The report also detailed how Ms Samson discharged a patient on November 20, 2017 while the hospital was still waiting for some test results to come in.
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust confirmed Ms Samson has not worked at the Trust since 2018, and that the NMC hearing overview touches on the processes which took place.
A spokesperson for London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust said: “This individual hasn’t worked at the Trust since 2019. We expect all our nurses to be professional and provide the best possible care to our patients.”
