Nurse guilty of professional misconduct after kissing patient while in his care
Katy Jones13:23, Nov 04 2021
123RF/Stuff
Vineeth Sheela was found to have breached professional boundaries by hugging and kissing a “very unwell” patient. (File photo)
A nurse has been found guilty of professional misconduct after kissing a patient and asking if he could get on her bed.
The Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found Vineeth Vijayan Sheela inappropriately touched the patient on two occasions, while working as a registered nurse on the Medical Unit at Nelson Hospital in 2018.
The Tribunal heard Sheela hugged and kissed the patient, who was very unwell, on night shifts in August and September.
The patient was being nursed in isolation on the first occasion, and was tearful and in a lot of pain.
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The patient rang her bell and asked Sheela, her assigned nurse, if she could be assessed by a doctor due to the pain.
She became upset when Sheela said the doctor did not want her medication changed. Sheela asked if he could hug her, and she agreed.
The patient said he then hugged her and kissed her on or about the cheek or neck.
She did not tell anyone about the incident during the hospital admission, wondering if she had misinterpreted what had happened, but said the incident “felt weird”.
Sheela was then assigned as her nurse when she was readmitted to the medical unit after an operation in September.
MARTIN DE RUYTER
The Tribunal found Sheela had breached professional boundaries, and said his conduct amounted to malpractice.
At around 6am he went into her room and hugged her. The patient said he asked if he could kiss her, which made her feel awkward.
He then kissed her on the mouth. She described this as “not a platonic kiss”, saying he sucked her bottom lip and kissed her several times.
He then asked if he could get on her bed, and kissed her directly on the mouth again, she said.
Sheela then left the room and the patient said she became upset and was crying.
She needed pain relief but was too scared to ring her bell in case Sheela answered, the Tribunal heard.
The patient disclosed what had happened to another registered nurse the next morning, and the complaint escalated to a meeting in December 2018 with the acting director of nursing at the Nelson Marlborough District Health Board.
Sheela admitted to hugging the patient but denied kissing her, or asking to get in her bed.
He resigned later that month.
The patient subsequently died.
The Tribunal said it was satisfied the charges were established.
The patient feared for her safety and felt she was unable to fend off or otherwise escape Sheela’s advances, it said.
Sheela breached professional boundaries on two separation occasions, and the breaches occurred in the hospital setting where the patient was entitled to feel safe.
Sheela's conduct amounted to malpractice which brought and was likely to bring discredit to the profession, it said.
He had made no attempt to give his evidence in person or make himself available for cross-examination, the tribunal said.
It cancelled his nurse's registration with an order to censure him if he reapplied, and ordered him to pay 50 per cent of the costs of the hearing amounting to $30,000.
Sheela did not attend the hearing in May, with the Tribunal advised that he was living in India.
His application for permanent name suppression was dismissed.
The patient has automatic name suppression.
