Psychiatrist provided good care to patient at P.E.I. hospital, say nurses at professional misconduct hearing
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Nurses on the Prince County Hospital stated Dr. Arvind Singh supplied excellent care to the affected person who’s on the centre of knowledgeable misconduct listening to.
Singh is dealing with allegations at a listening to in Charlottetown, contesting the care he supplied to a affected person within the Prince County Hospital (PCH) in 2017 and 2018. The affected person, who SaltWire is asking LH as a result of she is a weak particular person, was admitted to the PCH with superior Huntington’s illness, a progressive neurological dysfunction. Singh denies the allegations of wrongdoing.
Tom Laughlin and Janet Clark, the attorneys representing Singh, referred to as two witnesses on April 4 to testify concerning the care they have been directed to offer to LH.
Psychiatric nurse Susan Simpson, now retired, was requested concerning the protocols Singh put in place for LH’s care. Earlier testimony alleged they have been too restrictive and never useful for LH as a result of they imposed punishment for dangerous behaviour. Simpson testified the protocols have been useful as a result of they supplied a routine.
“It was extra useful to LH than it was for us,” Simpson stated. “It reduce down nervousness for her.”
Simpson stated if LH grew to become upset, workers may level to the protocol, and LH would be capable to learn and perceive, for instance, that her bathe time was 10 a.m. or that she could be getting her nails carried out on Wednesday.
Different lists have been useful to remind LH to restrict her private belongings in her room and to redirect her to extra fulfilling actions when she grew to become upset.
Kelly Walsh, a psychological nurse on the inpatient psychological well being unit on the PCH, testified that though she had a very good relationship with LH and her dad and mom, different workers typically discovered them exhausting to take care of.
“They cared for his or her daughter, they have been involved for his or her daughter,” stated Walsh. “They’d some problem understanding why we did issues the best way we did.”
Walsh stated LH had difficulties with co-ordination and would typically stroll into folks. Typically, she apologized, however sometimes LH was in a nasty temper, and Walsh stated she would “barge into” workers and sufferers. As well as, LH would go into different sufferers’ rooms and take issues, which made the opposite sufferers sad. Some threatened her.
LH would additionally hoard meals. As a result of she had problem swallowing as a result of her Huntington’s illness, if she ate one thing with out supervision, she may choke.
The listening to has heard that these behaviours escalated in March and April 2018.
On April 13, 2018, a workforce choice was made to put LH in one of many unit’s high-risk rooms to stabilize her behaviour so she may preserve her placement in long-term care.
LH was upset to be within the room, which restricted her private objects, which made LH’s father, Stephen Hurst, upset when he visited her.
When Hurst testified on the listening to on March 24, he referred to as seeing her there, “the straw that broke the camel’s again.”
Each nurses testified Hurst knew LH could be within the room.
Walsh stated Hurst approached her on the nurses’ station and loudly protested LH’s admission to the room for round 40 minutes, periodically pounding his fist on the desk. LH and her stepmother, Janet-Rose Hurst, have been additionally there for the argument.
Each nurses stated Singh arrived, however Hurst refused to talk to him concerning the choice.
Each nurses noticed that when the Hursts left the unit, Stephen Hurst closed the door sharply on LH to maintain her from leaving.
Each nurses stated the workers within the psychological well being unit, together with Singh, supplied excellent care for LH.
“Dr. Singh was at all times very caring and compassionate when he would converse to LH,” stated Walsh.
The listening to continued the afternoon of April 4 with testimony from Singh. His testimony will proceed on April 5.
Alison Jenkins is a reporter with the SaltWire Community in Prince Edward Island.
