A MENTAL health nurse has received a three-year caution order following an incident at a Bradford hospital. 

Jacob Yaw Obeng appeared before the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee after “aggressively” making contact with a patient’s face at Cygnet Bierley.

A report from the misconduct hearing said: “On May 23, 2020, you were on the night shift at the unit with two Healthcare Assistants.

"During this shift, it is alleged that Patient A requested to go for a cigarette break, but you informed Patient A that the ward could not permit this at the time due to staff shortages. It is alleged that this resulted in an altercation between you and Patient A.

"During this altercation you allegedly pointed and/or shook your finger in Patient A’s face, raised your hand towards the patient, and made physical contact with the patient’s face. 

“The incident was captured on CCTV. You documented Patient A’s presentation during your shift and handed this over in the morning to incoming staff. However, the referral alleges that you failed to record or escalate the incident captured on CCTV.”

Mr Obeng admitted he had made contact with the patient’s face when there was no clinical need to do so; pointed and/or shook his finger in the patient’s face on at least two occasions; failed to accurately record the mentioned incidents and failed to report the mentioned incidents. 

The panel found he made contact with the patient’s face “aggressively” and his actions in, respect of that incident, were dishonest.

The hearing report said: “The panel noted from your own admission in your oral evidence that you knew the act of making contact with a patient’s face with your hand in a manner depicted in the CCTV footage is a serious incident that requires reporting.The panel concluded that by the standards of ordinary and decent people your actions were dishonest in not reporting this incident.”

The panel also found he deliberately sought to mislead any subsequent reader of his entry into the hospital’s system by omitting the contact he made with the patient’s face and “underplaying the level of interaction and therefore seriousness of the incident”. 

The panel was told Mr Obeng had demonstrated “sufficient insight” and the incident had a “profound emotional impact” on him.

A spokesperson for Cygnet Bierley said they have a “zero tolerance” policy against violence and aggression and Mr Obeng’s employment was terminated on the grounds of gross misconduct. T

Testimonials from his current employer, Waterloo Manor Hospital, Garforth, said he is “highly thought of” and “very skilled in managing patients presenting with aggression”. 

The panel said he had “remedied” his practice and the risk of repetition was low. His dishonesty in underplaying the seriousness of the incident was “out of character” in an otherwise unblemished career and also unlikely to be repeated.

They also highlighted the “challenging” nature of the unit at the time, which included him enduring racial abuse.

However, the panel said a finding of impairment on public interest grounds was required; making contact with the patient’s face and underplaying the severity of this by not accurately recording nor escalating was serious.