Care home nurse dragged patient to floor, cutting his head

A nurse pulled a vulnerable resident at a care home for people with mental health conditions to the ground causing him to cut his head, a misconduct panel heard.

David Guyers, who worked at Swallowfield Garden Care Home in Bolton, also lied in an incident report in which he described the man as sustaining a "witnessed fall".

An independent panel heard Guyers claimed the man, referred to as Resident A, had been "trashing the kitchen" and that he tried to take hold of his hands to remove him.

However, Guyers was struck off after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) watchdog reviewed CCTV footage confirming Resident A's behaviour "appeared to give no cause for concern".

The panel heard that Resident A was allowed access to the kitchen and had personal food items in a shared fridge.

The NMC found that on 22 February 2023, during a night shift, Guyers approached the resident in the kitchen and the two appeared to speak for less than a minute.

It said: "Mr Guyers grabbed Resident A by the arm and pulled or dragged him across the kitchen, causing Resident A to fall to the floor, partly into the corridor.

"It was also alleged that Resident A sustained a head injury, with visible bleeding from a cut to the forehead."

It said Resident A was known to "become anxious and unsettled" by "change or unfamiliar situations".

He could present as "hostile or verbally aggressive", but it was "very rare" for Resident A to become physically aggressive.

The panel said the home also had systems in place to manage distress and strategies to de-escalate situations.

Guyers had also been trained in de-escalation and restraint techniques.

In the incident form he claimed the resident had displayed "untoward behaviour" and then "dropped to the floor".

However, NMC investigators argued his explanation "shifted over time".

When the care home began investigating the injury Guyers told managers during a formal interview that the fall was an "accident" and he had simply been trying to move Resident A from what he believed was a "risky environment".

However the panel found "no observable evidence of dangerous behaviour that would justify physical intervention".

The NMC also alleged that Guyers had physically moved Resident A out of a lounge area around a week earlier, while telling him "right you - upstairs".

Witnesses described him dragging Resident A, who lived on the top floor of the care home, towards a lift.

Guyers was referred to the NMC and charged with misconduct, but told the regulator he no longer wished to practice as a nurse and consented for the hearing to go on in his absence.

He told the regulator by email: "This is far too late now in my life to pursue, it is also very costly."

Deciding on whether to strike Guyers off the register, the panel concluded: "The seriousness of the misconduct was compounded by his dishonesty, which the panel found was used in an attempt to cover up what had happened, to mislead the Home and had the potential to be detrimental to Resident A's ongoing care."

Cuerden Care, which operates Swallowfield Gardens, has been contacted for comment.

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