A NURSE who locked a dementia patient in their room and failed to monitor their behaviour has now been struck off.

Elaine Hastings locked a patient’s door sometime between August and September 2016 while working at Ayrshire’’s Woodland View hospital.

The elderly man was suffering from Lewy Bodies dementia, meaning he was prone to fainting, falling and hallucinations and should never have been locked in or left alone.

Panel hearing papers state Hastings also put a linen basket in front of the same patient’s door during the night shift of September 14, 2016 and then, between midnight and 12.30am, Hasting’s held the door closed.

The nursing watchdog stated Hastings did not provide continuous supervision or ensure that continuous supervision was provided, adding that she failed to ensure that an accurate record was kept of the patient’s behaviour.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council found Hastings fitness to practise was impaired for the misconduct and during a recent virtual hearing replaced Hasting’s 12-month suspension order with a striking off order – coming into effect January 14, 2021.

Its ruling said Hastings had not engaged with the panel since December 2018 and could not determine whether she had taken steps to remediate the misconduct.

The NMC Panel said:”The panel determined that a further period of suspension would not serve any useful purpose in all of the circumstances. It was necessary to take action to prevent Mrs Hastings from practising in the future and concluded that the only sanction that would adequately protect the public and serve the public interest was a striking-off order.”

The panel previously heard from six witnesses, one of whom said Hastings “pulled the door shut, locked it with a key” stopping the patient from leaving, adding the man was “agitated and trying to open the door as the door handle was moving.

She said that she could also hear him bumping his zimmer frame against the room door.

The witness said she had challenged Mrs Hasting and told her that she could not lock the door.

She said Mrs Hastings had replied: “Yes, I can. I have done it before.”

Hastings was sacked from her post after a disciplinary hearing back in 2016 and given a 12-month suspension from nursing before the latest order.