A BRADFORD nurse accused of pushing a mentally-ill patient then failing to promptly record the incident, has appeared before the Nursing Midwifery Council on misconduct charges.

Kathleen McNally was working as an agency nurse on the low-security Bronte Ward for female patients when the alleged incident happened during the night shift on October 17, 2014.

The hearing at the Nursing Midwifery Council’s (NMC) Montfichet Road offices in London was scheduled from Monday for three days.

The allegations read that Ms McNally, a registered mental health nurse, while working on the Bronte Ward at Cygnet Hospital Bierley, pushed Patient A and following the incident did not document it in Patient A’s notes and/or promptly complete an incident form and, in light of the above, her fitness to practise was impaired by reason of misconduct.

The alleged incident was caught on CCTV and reported to the NMC by staff at Cygnet.

A spokesman for Cygnet said: “The health and wellbeing of patients is our absolute priority, and we will always act promptly to protect their best interests. When a patient raised concerns about an agency nurse, the staff team at the hospital carried out an immediate investigation.

“They informed the agency of their concerns and notified the NMC straight away. The nurse has not been employed at the hospital since.

“As the outcome of the hearing is pending it would not be appropriate to comment further, but we want to thank our staff for their prompt action.”

A spokesman for the NMC said he was not able to comment on the hearing’s outcome until it had been legally processed.

West Yorkshire Police confirmed a woman in her 50s was spoken to about the incident but said no further action was taken.

This week Cygnet Hospital has opened more beds at its Wyke site in Huddersfield Road after a six-month building project.

The building work has made room for five new specialist older adult beds for men on its Fairfax Ward and four extra beds on its Branwell Ward for acute male cases.

As well as additional beds on the Branwell Ward, improvements include another meeting room with full conference facilities including Skype and extra social space, creating more quiet spaces and more free movement around the ward.

Developments on the Fairfax Ward include a bigger outdoor space, hoists, fully-accessible bathrooms for patients with mobility difficulties and a sensory and relaxation room. A spokesman said the new facilities were all now in use.