News

NMC suspends nurse for failing to give CPR to care home resident

Nahid Nasiri knew a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation order was not in place
NMC building plaque

Nahid Nasiri knew a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation order was not in place


Picture: Charles Milligan

An experienced nurse who failed to attempt resuscitation on an older care home resident has been suspended from the nursing register.

Care home nurse Nahid Nasiri failed to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to an 89-year-old woman who had stopped breathing, despite being aware that the patient did not have a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) order in place.

Ms Nasiri, who has more than 25 years’ experience as a nurse, was working at Woodlands Nursing Home at the time of the incident on 6 August 2017 according to a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practise hearing report. 

Nurse describes action as ‘a carefully considered clinical decision’

The care home’s policy states that ‘best efforts to resuscitate should be undertaken’ when the resident has not indicated their views on resuscitation.

But Ms Nasiri later argued that her decision not to attempt resuscitation was ‘a carefully considered clinical decision’ both at the coroner’s inquest and in her submission to the NMC during its investigation.

However, during a panel hearing earlier this month, the NMC said it could find no evidence that it was a carefully considered clinical decision. 

Nurse expressed no remorse about the incident

Ms Nasiri was not charged with contributing to the death of the resident, and evidence from a consultant histopathologist confirmed that resuscitation was unlikely to have been successful in this case. But the NMC panel noted that Ms Nasiri could not have been aware of the likely outcome.

The panel also found that Ms Nasiri had expressed no remorse and had never adequately explained her clinical decision not to attempt CPR.

When considering mitigating circumstances, the panel noted Ms Nasiri’s positive references and her exemplary career before the incident.

Ms Nasiri has retired from nursing

Previous correspondence from Ms Nasiri’s RCN representative last August indicated that she had disengaged from the NMC proceedings, retired from nursing and moved to the United States.

Ms Nasiri has 28 days from the NMC ruling to appeal the decision.

Response from care home owners

Operations manager Jacqui Gregg from Regal Care, which runs the care home, said: ‘We confirm that Nahid Nasiri did work at Woodlands Nursing Home as a registered nurse in charge of the shift on the day of this incident.

‘Ms Nasiri failed to follow the company policy and, following this incident, she resigned from her job. We have accepted her resignation.’


Further information


In other news

Jobs