Tribunal Hears How Nurse Made Patient’s Vagina ‘Talk’

A nurse used a patient’s vagina as a ventriloquist’s dummy and pretended to make it talk, a tribunal heard.

William Kennedy was performing an intimate examination of the vulnerable woman in a care home in south Wales, a tribunal heard.

His colleagues were horrified when he ‘pulled the patient’s labia apart and said “Hello, my name is Patient A” treating her labia like a puppet.’

But Kennedy claimed the ‘appalling’ incident at the Cwmgelli Lodge Care Home in Blackwood, south Wales had been blown out of proportion, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.

He said he had forgotten to take his medication and called it a ‘socially awkward situation.’

The nurse even blamed witnesses for what had happened.

Kennedy was convicted of ill-treating a patient who lacked capacity at Gwent Magistrates Court on 20 February last year and given a community order.

His current employers at a Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, are aware of the conviction, the hearing was told.

Zainab Mohamed, for the NMC, asked for conditions of practice to be placed on Kennedy for the next 18 months.

Those conditions include preventing him from carrying intimate examinations, working under direct supervision and not being on a night shift or the only nurse on duty.

Panel chairman Philip Sayce said: 

‘There were concerns raised about the level of Mr Kennedy’s insight regarding his conviction when discussing the incident with his probation officer.

‘In addition there was a concern about whether or not he had fully disclosed the details of his conviction when seeking employment with a previous employer.

‘She submitted that there is a risk of harm to the public if Mr Kennedy were allowed to practise unrestricted.

‘Further, members of the public would be appalled to hear of a registered nurse behaving in this way.

‘The panel considered that the conviction in Gwent Magistrates Court and the alleged behaviour reported to the NMC were very serious and gave rise to real concerns about patient safety and public protection.

‘The panel had regard to the fact that there had been no allegations of repetition of the behaviour but remained concerned given the seriousness of the allegations and the reported remarks by the probation officer,’ added the panel.

Kennedy was not present, and not represented at the hearing.