A nurse who worked for Stephen Hawking for 15 years has been suspended in a secret tribunal over allegations of ‘serious’ misconduct concerning his care. The scientist’s immediate family had lodged a complaint which prompted a long investigation into 61-year-old Patricia Dowdy. But details of the case, and the nature of the disciplinary charges against Mrs Dowdy, have been suppressed by the body which regulates nursing. The public and the media have been banned from the hearing in a move that will prompt renewed concerns about a shift towards ‘secret justice’. Because of the severity of the allegations against her, which have never been made public, Mrs Dowdy was suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) when the claims came to light. The ‘substantive’ hearing that will ultimately decide her fate is now ongoing – but is being held behind closed doors. And it is likely that the charges will never be publicly disclosed. It is understood that the nurse, from Ipswich, Suffolk, stopped working for Hawking at least two years before he succumbed to motor neurone disease in March last year, aged 76. When a reporter turned up at the NMC in Stratford, East London, he was denied entry and told that Mrs Dowdy’s ‘fitness-to-practise’ hearing, due to end later this month, was private. Later, the NMC said a secrecy order was granted because of Mrs Dowdy’s ‘health’, but declined to elaborate further. Asked about the allegations at her home yesterday, Mrs Dowdy said: ‘This is all very upsetting. Can I just say “no comment” at the moment? I’m not supposed to talk to anyone.’ A source with knowledge of the case said the charges against the nurse were ‘pretty serious’ but declined to discuss the matter further. In 2004, ten nurses who had cared for Hawking accused his second wife, Elaine Mason, of abusing him. It is not known if Mrs Dowdy was among those who made statements to police or if that case is connected to the ongoing hearing. At the time it emerged that the author of A Brief History Of Time was repeatedly taken to hospital with unexplained injuries, such as a broken wrist, gashes to the face and a cut lip, that left his family concerned for his safety. Both he and Mrs Mason denied the allegations and police took no action. Last night, MPs and campaigners reacted with dismay to the decision to hold disciplinary hearings in secret. Independent MP John Woodcock, who helped his constituents fight for NMC hearings into midwives implicated in the needless deaths of babies at Furness General Hospital in Cumbria, warned the secrecy could increase the risk of a further tragedy. He said: ‘It is deeply concerning that the NMC is seeking to reduce transparency.’ And open justice campaigner John Hemming added: ‘Justice in the dark is never proper justice. If you want people to have confidence in the regulator, then justice needs to be done – and seen to be done.’ Prof Hawking had been confined to a wheelchair since the age of 30 and was attended to by a rota of private nurses and carers paid for by Cambridge University, where he was a mathematics professor.
March 6, 2019
A pensioner has been charged with stalking a retirement housing association employee over the course of a three year period. Robert Entwistle is alleged to have engaged in a course of conduct likely to cause the woman fear and alarm by sending her numerous unwanted communications via letters and online at Greenlaw and in Duns between January 1, 2016, and January 1, 2019. The 69-year-old of Priorwood Court, Melrose, pleaded not guilty at Jedburgh Sheriff Court to the stalking charge. A trial has been fixed for May 16 with an intermediate hearing on April 29.
February 17, 2019
A care worker was found sleeping on two chairs in a staff kitchen at a nursing home while the daughter of a patient was frantically looking for a staff member, a tribunal has heard. The daughter of the patient stated that it was difficult to awaken the care worker in question during her night duty and she found another staff member who promptly got the nurse on duty without delay. The sleeping carer was one of two carers and one nurse tasked with looking after 23 patients during the night duty. The nursing home received a complaint over the care-worker being found asleep on the job. The care assistant had been employed by the nursing home for nine years until her dismissal on June 2nd 2017 arising from the ‘sleep’ incident on May 9th 2017. The care assistant sued for unfair dismissal and a Tribunal has found that the worker was not unfairly dismissed.
January 7, 2019
Hospice Huronia is going to be tapping into the knowledge and expertise of Kelly Hubbard. Hubbard, the executive director at Hospice Simcoe in Barrie, has taken over as interim executive director of Hospice Huronia.
October 1, 2018
The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) says that physician-entrepreneur Dr Neil Bacon has been appointed as its new President and CEO.
September 24, 2018
Mainstay Medical International plc, a medical device company focused on commercializing ReActiv8®, an implantable restorative neurostimulation system designed to treat an underlying cause of disabling Chronic Low Back Pain, today announces that Dr Manus Rogan has decided to step down as a Non-Executive Director of the Company with immediate effect.
July 4, 2018
Jason Burggraaf is the incoming executive director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association.
May 29, 2018
Schlegel Health Care has appointed the right honourable David Johnston C.C. to its board.
