A hospital nurse was so obsessed with "ruthless efficiency" that she tried to kill four elderly patients to free their beds, a court heard today.
Barbara Salisbury was even heard urging one patient "give in, it's time to go", as she administered an overdose, prosecuting barrister Robin Spencer QC told the jury at Chester Crown Court.
Determined to get patients off her ward quickly - alive or dead - she "overstepped the line between humane nursing and callous dispatch", taking it upon herself to hasten the death of the four very ill patients at Leighton Hospital, Crewe, Mr Spencer said.
Salisbury, 47, from Pontybodkin, north Wales, who was working as a ward sister, denies four counts of attempted murder against Reuben Thompson, 81, Frank Owen, 92, James Byrne, 76, and Frances May Taylor, 88. The alleged offences took place between 1999 and 2001.
Mr Spencer said Salisbury tried to kill Mr Byrne and Mrs Taylor by "unnecessary and inappropriate" administration of diamorphine.
The court heard she was seen repeatedly pressing the booster button on the device delivering the drug to Mr Byrne and telling him: "Give in, it's time to go."
Mr Spencer said Salisbury tried to kill Mr Owen and Mr Thompson by lying them on their backs to drown in their own secretions. In Mr Owen's case, she told a fellow nurse: "With any luck his lungs will fill with fluid and he will die."
Salisbury was reported to police by other nurses at the hospital. Mr Spencer told the jury: " Barbara Salisbury arrogated to herself the right to decide when [patients] should die.
"She does not suggest these were attempts at mercy killing. The allegations, she says, are quite simply untrue."
He added: "If the patient could be made well enough to be discharged she would aim for that, if not she would hasten death. One way or another she wanted these patients off her ward." The trial continues.
The Barbara Salisbury case seems like a chain of errors to me, things were going wrong for a while but nobody did anything about, don't get me wrong, no proportion of blame should be put on anyone other than Barbara Salisbury, but if the chain of errors can be stopped early things don't have to go so far. Yet again, the profession of nursing is in the spotlight because of this awful situation. What a shame that the papers can't find a story everyday about how wonderful the hugh majority of nurses are!!!!
No blame should be put on her but the nurses who decided her regime of a caring, nurse who didn't suffer fools gladly was not to their liking. They might have to work too hard!!!
What a shame you can't find out all the facts before you make a judgement. No blame should be put on her but the nurses who decided her regime of a caring, nurse who didn't suffer fools gladly was not to their liking. They might have to work too hard!!!
The facts are, that the courts found her guilty on the evidence that was presented to them. NO speculation, NO rumours, but facts.
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This must be a rather frieghtening experience to those patients. But could anyone who suppose to be caring for sick people be so callous? Not to metion a ward sister who suppose to be setting examlpe for others. I know where I work all narcotics has to be signed and witnessed administration of the drug by two people where was the co-signee when all of this suppose to have taken place ?
sounds shoddy to me. If the nurse is found guilty of all these allegations she must be prepared to face the consequences. Lets hope its not so. :)
No blame should be put on her but the nurses who decided her regime of a caring, nurse who didn't suffer fools gladly was not to their liking. They might have to work too hard!!!
Excuse me?! So some vague group of "other nurses" are to blame for this woman attempting to kill her patients? I think you may well have lost a bit of perspective on this one. No wait - make that "completely lost perspective". You would support a would-be murderer over the whistleblowers who brought her activities to a halt?
The words "warped" and "moral compass" come to mind.
I am so angry at this woman bringing the greatest profession in the world to shame like this. I must however confess that many times when a nurse is inappropriate in her/his actions or behaviour it is difficult to know WHO to turn to. Was there a policy in place to let her colleagues know who to turn to?. Perhaps they doubted what they heard or saw. While some of them may share a small percentage of the blame our profession is still based on a system of hierarchy, certaintly in the UK and it must be difficult to go through your chain of command when the commander is the culprit. No excuses here just thoughts I'm having as this whole thing has thrown me, as an english nurse for a loop. Our thoughts here are with victims and their relatives. Shame on her!
Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.
It would seem she was trying to solve the bed shortage single handed!! However, I dont think killing our patients is quite the way to do it!! make them better, send them home is much more my style!
on a serious note.. it is sad that this happened and that there are nurses out there who do harm their patients. I'm not sure how you prevent it, just thankful there are other nurses out there prepared to blow the whistle.
How very sad, for all those patients families. So much trust is put upon the nurse and we are counted on to keep peoples love ones as safe as possible and to keep them comfortable so they can die with dignity. I know I am only a student nurse but I have worked in the medical field on and off for 20 years and I have always said once I lose my compassion and it just becomes a job I am outta here. I also feel sorry for her family they have to be devastated also, but I also think 5 years is that really long enough?
I have got to say I totally agree with JudithWA... you obviously have been following the case very carefully and have seen it for what it really is!
I have been following this case through the media coverage both nationally and locally to that area.
I understand from this that there was a ward battle going on, one of the key witnesses in the case actually admitted in court that he has lied on his police statement in which he accused this nurse of laying a patient flat to die.. as it turns out she was not even on shift when the alleged offence occured... you tell me thats not vindictiveness.
I understand that all the patients were either DNR or were in for TLC only.
In the two cases she has been convicted of the drugs were prescribed by doctors and was the minimal starting doses of diamorphine... I dont know about elsewhere in the world but here there has to be two people to administor diamorphine and each one is accountable for that administration. In the NMC code of conduct it says that each nurse is accountable for their own actions and to say that another member of staff pushed you into giving the drug is no form of defence... yet this is what is reported to have happened in court.. nurses were saying she bullied them... well sorry thats no defence as far as I am concerned... they are just as liable as her and should be serving this sentance with her.
Also in the media coverage it has said that no nurses reported what they see to be attempts at killing patients, to anyone at the time it happened.... whatever happened to clinical incident forms?... or speaking to managers... the whole thing stinks of bullying, and bullying which has gone to the extremes.
Why has this nurse been jailed? what has she done wrong?
Excuse me?! So some vague group of "other nurses" are to blame for this woman attempting to kill her patients? I think you may well have lost a bit of perspective on this one. No wait - make that "completely lost perspective". You would support a would-be murderer over the whistleblowers who brought her activities to a halt?
The words "warped" and "moral compass" come to mind.
Lost no perspective at all, am not warped and am full of honest morality. Maybe you should think about your own. Know all facts unlike you!
JudithwA
5 Posts
No blame should be put on her but the nurses who decided her regime of a caring, nurse who didn't suffer fools gladly was not to their liking. They might have to work too hard!!!