Old age care – relatives ‘at the mercy’ of homes

Abstract

The nursing supervisor of a Rondebosch frail care annexe and two nurses who failed to follow or record explicit doctor instructions to halve a Warfarin dose and stop administering sedatives to a vulnerable 91-year old were suspended last month – more than three years after the offence.
Mrs Madge Morkel, discharged from Kingsbury Hospital to the Gordon Greene Annexe of the Fairmead Retirement Home, on June 13th 2008, died of acute liver failure eight months later, causing the Nursing Council’s Professional Conduct Committee to speculate as to whether the dismal care she received contributed to her death. Annexe Supervisor, Mr Fikile Celeni, of Crawford, a registered nurse with psychiatry, community and midwifery qualifications, was suspended by the committee for two years, this sentence suspended conditionally for three years. He was found guilty of improper and disgraceful conduct in that he ‘willfully or negligently’; failed to carry out acts in respect of collaborating, co-ordinating and advocating for the care of the patient, failed to keep clear and accurate records of all actions performed and failed to administer medication as prescribed.