Nurse failed to manage dying patient's pain on last night of her life, tribunal told

A Northern Ireland nurse failed to properly manage a dying patient's pain on the last night of her life, a tribunal has heard.

Veteran staff nurse Bernard McGrail has been issued with a four-month suspension order over his failings in dealing with an end-of-life care resident while on a night shift at a Spa Nursing Homes Group facility in July, 2021.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practice panel said Mr McGrail's misconduct had caused "emotional distress" to the family of the woman, identified as Resident A.

It added: "There was a real risk of harm to Resident A through the inadequate management of their pain on their last evening."

A remorseful and apologetic Mr McGrail admitted a series of allegations including: a failure to appropriately manage Resident A’s pain; failure to investigate whether Resident A’s syringe driver was working correctly and a failure to escalate that the alarm on Resident A’s syringe driver sounded repeatedly.

Mr McGrail also admitted that without clinical justification, he administered a 5mg doses of Apixiban to Resident B on three dates on October 2020.

And on occasions between April 2020 and May 2022 failed to administer and/or record the administration of named medications to six other residents.

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Source: Belfast Telegraph, 12 May 2025