A nurse has been suspended for six months after verbally abusing a resident and physically restraining them on the floor.

Deborah Owen was given the suspension order by the Nursing & Midwifery Council following a hearing on the incident that took place at Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme on 5 April 2021.

The council found that when the resident who had an acquired brain injury from a fall became agitated, Owen said “did your dad abuse you?” or words to that effect.

Owen was also found to have said “I’ve worked in the crazy house before,” or words to that effect.

She was also found to have physically restrained the resident on the floor despite their care plan encouraging staff to use a range of interventions that did not include physical restraint. Owen also failed to record the incident in the resident’s care notes.

Peter Norman, general manager of Belong Newcastle-under-Lyme, said: “We are extremely sorry that this distressing incident happened to one of our residents. As acknowledged in the report, the nurse’s actions went fully against our ethos not to use restraint, and we were promptly alerted by the colleagues who witnessed it. Ms Owen was immediately suspended and later had her contract terminated. We, of course, did everything possible to provide reassurance and support to our resident and restore their wellbeing. We also immediately informed the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Care Quality Commission, and the local safeguarding team, and we supported colleagues to deal with what had happened, reinforcing the importance of our ‘Speaking Out’ policy in ensuring transparency and maintaining a safe environment for our residents.

“Ms Owen had been with us for two months when this occurred, having been a registered nurse for 33 years previously, with no previous incidents on her record. All recruitment checks and references had been satisfactorily completed prior to her joining Belong, but clearly this was an appointment which we deeply regret.”