Penelope Williams has been struck off (Picture: Wales News Service)
A nurse who ignored advice to call an ambulance after a patient died while in his car with her has been struck off.
Penelope Williams had a year-long sexual relationship with the man, known only as Patient A, despite knowing he was a patient where she worked at Wrexham’s Spire Hospital in Wales.
The cause of the man’s death in January 2022 was listed as ‘heart failure and chronic kidney disease triggered by a medical episode’.
Patient A received regular treatment at the Betsi Cadwaladr health board, where Mrs Williams worked as a general nurse on a renal unit.
On the night of his death, Mrs Williams went to a colleague’s house before meeting Patient A.
Just before midnight the colleague received a phone call from her, who was ‘crying and distressed and asking for help as she tried to explain that someone had died’.
The colleague told her to call an ambulance, and when they arrived they found Patient A ‘partially clothed and unresponsive’ in his car in the hospital car park.
They then called 999 and asked for the police and ambulance – which Mrs Williams hadn’t done.
Patient A was pronounced dead shortly after.
She initially denied the relationship with the patient (Picture: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
She worked at Spire Hospital in Wrexham (Picture: Google Maps)
Initially Mrs Williams told police she’d gone to meet him after he messaged her on Facebook and told her he was unwell.
In a later police statement she admitted she was in a sexual relationship with him and they’d arranged to meet at the car park that evening.
But she denied this during a formal meeting with the Health Board in February, saying ‘she met with Patient A and sat at the back of his car for about 30-45 minutes just talking’ before he started groaning and suddenly died.
In May, at a local disciplinary hearing, Mrs Williams admitted to the relationship and to not calling an ambulance, and was dismissed from her job with ‘immediate effect’.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council said her actions amounted to serious misconduct.
The panel concluded: ‘Mrs Williams’ actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register.
‘The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Mrs Williams’ actions were so serious that to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body.’
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‘Mrs Williams’ actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register.’