Nurse Drew Griffiths struck off for shouting at a pensioner with dementia

A mental health nurse who shouted at a pensioner with dementia has been struck off the nursing register.

Drew Griffiths, 46, of Ashes Lane, Almondbury, was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court of ill-treating or neglecting 93-year-old Ada Gill and was handed a suspended sentence last July.

He was suspended from nursing while the allegations against him were investigated, but he has now been removed from the register by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

An NMC panel said he had brought the profession into disrepute and that his actions caused distress to the ‘vulnerable’ pensioner and her family.

They also concluded his continued denials and lack of engagement with the NMC meant there was a risk his behaviour would be repeated if he was allowed to return to nursing.

Mrs Gill, who suffered from senile dementia, was hard of hearing and had difficulty walking, was a resident at the Southfield Court Care Home in Almondbury where Griffiths had worked since 2004.

In 2012, Griffiths had been seen by a colleague shouting into Mrs Gill’s ear and telling her to sit down in an aggressive manner.

He denied any wrongdoing, but was found guilty by a jury.

Since his conviction, the NMC panel said he had not engaged with the watchdog and he did not attend the review hearing held in London earlier this month.

Announcing the decision to strike him off, the panel’s chairman, David Newman, said: “The panel formed the view that Mr Griffiths’ conviction reflected a significant departure from the standards outlined in the nursing code.

“His conviction concerned a very vulnerable, infirm and elderly patient who was left in an undignified state.

“His behaviour frightened her and caused her family distress.

“While the panel had no evidence of repetition since this conviction it also had no evidence of remorse and insight and that, along with his continued denials, led us to conclude that there remained a risk of repetition.

“Furthermore, the panel considered that the conviction is fundamentally incompatible with him continuing to be a registered nurse and that the public interest cannot be satisfied by a less severe outcome than permanent removal from the register.”