Kettering General Hospital: Nurse on Skylark ward guilty of misconduct
BBC By Jon Ironmonger
BBC Investigations, East of England
A nurse at one of the country's worst-rated children's wards has been found guilty of misconduct over her treatment of a vulnerable toddler.
Jorgie Stanton-Watts died from dehydration and sepsis aged 23 months after a series of failings by Kettering General Hospital (KGH) in October 2016.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) found the actions of Afua Ntumy, 45, "fell seriously short of the standards expected".
The hospital has declined to comment.
Jorgie, who had a condition called hypopituitarism, was admitted to the children's ward Skylark with a temperature, but deteriorated rapidly and died days later.
In 2019, a coroner concluded her treatment by two consultants and two nurses amounted to neglect.
It is understood Ms Ntumy, who was among those involved in Jorgie's care, still works on Skylark ward.
In July, an NMC panel found she:
- Repeatedly failed to carry out observations or record concerns, as indicated by the Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS)
- Did not escalate Jorgie's condition to a paediatric doctor
- Did not weigh Jorgie or adequately monitor her fluid intake/output
- Did not take any action when Jorgie became dehydrated
Presenting the NMC's case, Alastair Kennedy said Ms Ntumy did "not give [Jorgie] any priority" despite her "unusual, distressed behaviour".
