A nurse has admitted to professional misconduct, poor professional performance and breaches of the code of professional conduct at a Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) fitness-to-practise committee.
Andrea Capelli, a male nurse who worked at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, at the time of the allegations against him in 2018 and 2019, was censured by the committee.
He undertook not to practise in an acute setting without notifying the director of fitness to practise beforehand.
Solicitor Tom Cochrane, making submissions for Mr Capelli, told the inquiry that the nurse offered an apology to his former colleagues at the hospital, patients and the fitness-to-practise committee.
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He said Mr Capelli was completely remorseful and apologetic.
Mr Cochrane said his client undertook not to repeat the conduct and to complete a number of courses including regarding the safe administration of medication, dignity at work, law and ethics, and safeguarding and trust in care.
The solicitor told the inquiry that Mr Capelli was very happy working in a non-acute setting – Beneavin Lodge nursing home in Glasnevin, Dublin – and had no intention of going back to work in an acute setting.
Mr Cochrane also pointed to a number of courses Mr Capelli had completed since 2019, including regarding manual handling.
Mr Capelli was the subject to a number of allegations. Among them was that in November 2018 Mr Capelli flushed a patient’s intravenous cannula even though he had not completed his intravenous (IV) study day and failed to carry out Glasgow coma scale monitoring – a method of assessing impairment in consciousness – on a patient.
It was also alleged that in April 2019 Mr Capelli sent a message on Facebook to an 18-year-old first-year student nurse, who was on a six-week placement in the Drogheda hospital that read: “hi I am Andrea, i can’t add you, no buttons to press, you gorgeous :)”.
The student nurse alleged in a statement to the inquiry that Mr Capelli had previously asked her if she was on social media and that she told him that she was. She alleged she received the message on April 16th, 2019, at 11.35pm.
Mr Capelli questioned the student nurse on a number of occasions in the hospital as to why she did not respond to his Facebook message. The inquiry heard the student nurse felt uncomfortable and afraid of Mr Capelli as a result and was visibly upset when she told colleagues at the hospital.
It was also alleged Mr Capelli made comments in the hospital about the student nurse’s appearance with reference to photos of her on Facebook.
It was also alleged the registrant on or around June 2019 failed to assist a patient, referred to as “MR”, to eat and drink and handled him inappropriately by lifting him by his pyjama bottoms. The inquiry heard that the patient’s daughter, who was present at the time, was shocked at this.
It was also alleged that on or around July 28th, 2019, Mr Capelli failed to follow the correct procedure upon the death of patient “JM”, including failing to inform his family promptly of his death.
It was further alleged Mr Capelli attempted to put a neck brace on JM in his family’s presence and failed to stop the continuous subcutaneous infusion that allows medicines to be given during palliative care upon the death of JM.
It was also alleged that on or around August 2nd, 2019, the registrant failed to administer to another patient at noon medications including intravenous hydrocortisone, a steroid and a salbutamol nebuliser, which relieves symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as coughing, wheezing and feeling breathless.
The inquiry heard Mr Capelli made full admissions the allegations were factual.
The committee will now report its decision to accept undertakings to the NMBI, which, as the allegations predate August 2021, is subject to its approval.
