Aberdeen nurse suspended after trying to force-feed dementia patient medication

An Aberdeenshire nurse has been suspended after being found to have attempted to force-feed a dementia patient and swear at another.

Alexander Birnie was working on a dementia ward as a registered nurse with NHS Grampian when he was found to have grabbed a patient’s head and said “turn your f******g head” on May 30, 2018.

At the same location on June 1, 2018, Birnie was found to have held another patient’s head, loudly said “open your mouth” and attempted to force-feed them medication with a dessert spoon.

Birnie was also found, on an unspecified date in 2018, to have told a colleague to “f*** off”.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practice committee heard evidence for the charges.

A witness told the panel that they had never seen “anything more unacceptable” than when Birnie attempted to force-feed a patient with a dessert spoon.

The panel concluded that the nurse was “capable of remediation and did not amount to a course of conduct that was incompatible with remaining on the register”.

They decided to issue a temporary suspension order to allow Birnie to appeal the judgement, this will be replaced by a six-month suspension order if no appeal is made after 28 days.