Nurse at scandal-hit Stafford Hospital 'failed to provide basic life support for dying patient then claimed she was ASLEEP after she passed away'

 
A nurse at scandal-hit Stafford Hospital claimed an elderly patient was asleep when the woman was dead, a hearing was told today.
Evelyn Agbeko, with colleague Theresia Van Der Knaap, allegedly failed to provide 'basic life support' when they discovered the 81-year-old unresponsive.
As the pensioner's life drained away they did not even start chest compressions or summon the hospital's resuscitation team, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.
Agbeko later claimed in her notes that the woman was asleep between 4am and 6am, when she had passed away at about 3am.
The woman, referred to as Patient A, was on dialysis and had been admitted to A&E at the hospital at 9.25am on April 15, 2010, suffering from shortness of breath.
But when her condition did not improve she was admitted to Ward 11 where Agbeko was the nurse in charge.
At 2.30am on April 16, registrar Dr Helen Steed began considering whether or not to impose a 'Do Not Attempt Resuscitation' order, in light of the patient's chances of survival if she arrested.
Dr Steed decided she wanted to see the woman first, but before she could review Patient A, Susan Voss, acting hospital site manager, received a call stating she had died.
'Ms Voss received a telephone call from Ward 11 at approximately 4am and she believes that this telephone call came from Ms Agbeko.
'She was informed in this call that Patient A had passed away. She asked if the patient was expected to die, and she was informed that the patient was for resuscitation,' said Hannah Stephenson, for the NMC.
'Ms Voss will state that she informed that nurse that she should not have called Ms Voss, but she should have called the resuscitation team to tend to the patient.
'Ms Voss will state that the nurse then argued the point with her and stated that the patient has been dead for approximately five minutes,' she added.

The nurses deny making inadequate medical notes and failing to provide basic life support for the Stafford Hospital patient

Ms Stephenson told the panel that the expected procedure would have been for Agbeko to press the emergency alarm and commence chest compressions until the resuscitation team arrived.
Samantha Adams, a nurse who was working that night, allegedly went for a break at 3am and around 15 minutes later Van Der Knaap went to her and told her that Patient A had died, the hearing was told.
'She commented to Ms Van Der Knaap that the patient was for twos, which meant that the patient was for resuscitation,' said Ms Stephenson.
She added that this was a reference to extension '222', which was the number for the resuscitation team.
Ms Stephenson said: 'Ms Van Der Knaap repeated that the patient had already died.
'Ms Adams will state that she was shocked by this and informed the nurses that the call should have been put out if there was no Do Not Attempt Resuscitation order in place.'
Agbeko, who knew Patient A had already died, subsequently made two entries in woman's medical notes stating she was asleep at 4am and 6am.
The nurse admits this, claiming that she was simply confused at the time of making the entries.
She and Van Der Knaap deny all other allegations against them including making inadequate medical notes and failing to provide basic life support when they found the pensioner unresponsive.
Stafford Hospital was the subject of a two-year public inquiry, which concluded last month, into its appalling standards of care.
Official documents suggest up to 1,200 more patients than expected died at the Weston Road site between 2005 and 2008.
Sir Robert Francis QC, who chaired the inquiry, has said the true figure may never be known.
The central London hearing, which Agbeko is attending, but Van Der Knaap is not, continues.

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