Carenurse showsno remorse
A registered nurse at two care homes has been struck off by the industry regulator.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said John Dixon failed to show “remorse,” “further insight” or “any remediation of his previous failings” after his fitness to practice was brought into question.
Dixon was previously subject to a Conditions of Practice order following numerous allegations relating to his patient care at Rozelle Holm Farm Care Home and at Heathfield House, both in Ayr.
The allegations centred around a number of patients at the two homes and date back to when Dixon was employed as a registered nurse at Rozelle Holm Farm between 2014 and 2017.
Other charges related to Dixon’s time as a staff nurse at Heathfield House in 2018.
Mr Dixon was cleared of several of the charges against him. But others were found proved, including not calling a GP in relation to a resident following concerns by family members, dispensing the wrong dose of Warfarin, a blood-thinning medicine to treat and prevent blood clots and signing a medicine administration record chart to say that vitamin B12 was given to a resident - when it had not.
Dixon also left medicine unattended in a resident’s room, administered an additional dose of medication when it had already been given, failed to administer prescribed insulin to a resident at the correct time and failed to record a patient’s blood sugar levels. On one occasion a patient under Dixon’s care, at Heathfield House, was hospitalised with ketoacidosis, a symptom of not receiving insulin.
In 2019, Dixon avoided being struck off and received a conditions of practice order.
However, at the latest hearing into Dixon’s conduct last Wednesday, the NMC was told he had not taken the opportunity to “re-engage” with the organisation and that this “demonstrated disrespect to the panel.” The striking-off order will take effect upon the expiry of Dixon’s current suspension order on May 12.
STUART WILSON
Vandals have dumped more than a quarter of a MILLION pieces of litter around South Ayrshire - in just 10 weeks.
The incredible haul of shame has been revealed by volunteers running a ‘Clean-Up Campaign’.
They recovered the mountain of rubbish during 400 litter picks from Barassie to Ballantrae.
The campaign, set up at the end of January, had set an ambitious target of clearing up one million pieces of litter in 2021.
But it has already shot well ahead of target due to the region’s shocking grime rate.
Some parks and beaches have been visited by pickers over 20 times with staggering totals collected.
Hot spots include Marr Playing Fields in Troon, where 11,477 pieces of litter have been removed, while data from Prestwick Oval shows that an average 479 pieces have been removed each week since the new year.
Scenic Bracken Bay on the Ayrshire Coastal Path and Loch Braden in the Galloway Forest have both required repeat visits to remove waste.
Volunteers have also removed an astounding 6,806 pieces of litter from the Auchincruive estate, which is popular with walkers.
The Campaign is backed by South Ayrshire Council’s Waste Management Team, who provide volunteers with access to equipment including litter pickers and sacks.
The Council has also supported socially distanced picks at litter hot spots, including Heathfield Retail Park and Prestwick Bing.
Campaign founder, Chris Johnson, said: “Everyone knows littering is bad. Recent national exposure hopefully helps to highlight the problem, and the effort that goes into tackling it.
“Popular local locations like South Beach in Troon only look as good as they do thanks to an almost daily effort from volunteer groups and South Ayrshire Council staff.
“However, while the efforts of so many individuals should be appreciated, it’s certainly not an excuse to drop litter.
“Most volunteers litter pick because they want to enjoy our environment, but are unable to do so, due to the selfish individuals who continue to damage it. We’re now able to share data with authorities to highlight litter black spots and the types of litter found, to support targeted enforcement.”
While the efforts of so many individuals should be appreciated, it’s not an excuse to drop litter.