Nurse suspended after admitting causing death of terminally-ill Hampshire man

Matthew Simmonds, 39, was found dead on the evening of 6 July 2011 after his ventilator equipment had been mistakenly switched off.

Suffering from the rare genetic disorder von Hippel-Lindau disease, Mr Simmonds was being cared for at his Chandler's Ford home by nurses Kadiatu Harris and Fauzia Rust.

Harris admitted causing the death of Mr Simmonds at a Nursing and Midwifery Council tribunal last week.

The NMC was told Harris had been suspended from working at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust over a series of drug administration blunders.

She was later signed off sick by her GP but began working for Wimbourne Nursing Agency at Salisbury, Yeovil, Romsey, Wimbourne Victoria and Dorchester County hospitals throughout June and July 2011.

She also agreed to provide care for Mr Simmonds.

Harris admitted failing to ensure Mr Simmonds' ventilator equipment had been correctly changed during handover and failing to ensure it was functioning correctly, and that her failures caused the death of the patient.

She also admitted three allegations of incorrectly administering medication, one allegation of failing to check a patient's infusion line and 13 allegations of working agency shifts whilst signed off sick.

The nurse denied deliberately lowering the volume of another patient's vital signs monitor at Poole Hospital, failing to inform her colleagues and failing to handover to another nurse properly.

Lisa Wilson, for Harris, said her failings occurred against a backdrop of other "systematic failings" which included the use of incorrect ventilation equipment and the other nurse who shared responsibility for the patient and that Harris has since successfully undertaken further training courses.

NMC panel chair Edward Lucas said the panel had taken into account that Mr Simmonds' death had happened in "some unusual and perhaps unique circumstances" and there were other factors that contributed.