A children’s hospice nurse who flicked a vulnerable child’s penis when they were “defenceless” and “bound to a wheelchair” has been banned from the profession.
Karen Elizabeth Allen, a registered children’s nurse, was also found to have repeatedly soaked the non-verbal child with water, reports WalesOnline.
In another incident at Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice, in Sully, Penarth, she pulled another vulnerable child’s underpants up so high they were uncomfortable. A professional standards committee found her actions were “cruel and degrading” as well as “sexual in nature”.
Striking Allen off the register, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel said she had put vulnerable patients at risk of physical and emotional harm and brought the profession into disrepute, reports WalesOnline.
Finding a raft of serious allegations against the registered children’s nurse proved, the panel found she had shown no insight into her “deplorable” actions.
An investigation was launched at the hospice in Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, after colleagues raised concerns.
The NMC received a referral in October 2023 by the hospice’s director of nursing and clinical services who admitted to the panel that she “had concerns” about the ability of staff to “recognise and come forward and report safeguarding concerns”.
Describing what happened, a colleague of Allen’s told the hearing: “We changed his pad, gave him a wash, put on a clean pad, and that is when she flicked his penis.
“The patient is also non-verbal and cannot do anything for themselves because they require help with everything due to their physical immobility.
“The patient was bound to a wheelchair and was not able to feed or change themselves. They are defenceless and were not able to protect themself.”
The colleague, identified as a healthcare worker and named Witness Two in the hearing, went on to say that she had seen Allen “flick” the child’s penis “without clinical justification”. Allen had also engaged in water play with the same child but repeatedly soaked them even when they wanted to stop.
Allen also “repeatedly” gave another vulnerable child “wedgies”, pulling up their underpants uncomfortably high, she said.
The children’s hospice healthcare worker told the committee: “[Allen] came to help me to clean a patient. Once I cleaned the patient she flicked his willy and just laughed. I asked Ms Allen: ‘Why did you do that?’.
“I then looked at the patient and said: ‘Oh that was a silly thing for her to do. Wasn’t it silly?’.”
She went on: “It’s not a slip of your finger is it? It’s a very evident flick. His penis moved. It jumped.”
The hearing was also told how Allen, who qualified in 2007, repeatedly gave Child A “proper wedgies” after they were changed.
The panel asked how the child reacted to that and the healthcare worker told them: “When she had first done it he most probably would have just had his little smile bless him. But as time went on, it was uncomfortable”
Asked to describe “proper wedgies” she went on: “It’s just pulling the [underwear] right up, I suppose towards your nipple line, as far up as the fabric will take it which is most probably uncomfortable.”
In the water incident Child A had initially enjoyed being soaked with water but not as Allen continued after they were changed repeatedly into dry clothes and soaked again, the committee heard.
Asked why she didn’t report her concerns sooner the witness told the panel she feared not being believed and having to leave the job she loved. She added: “It was just her words against mine…. I’m a healthcare worker. She’s a nurse. Were people going to believe me?”
In its written findings the panel determined that “the incident and safeguarding reporting culture in the hospice was not very good at the time.”
Finding it proven that Allen had flicked Child C’s penis the panel also found this to be cruel, degrading, and sexual in nature. The committee said vulnerable patients were put “at risk of physical and emotional harm as a result of Ms Allen’s actions”.
A number of other allegations relating to comments and inferences made by Allen to colleagues were found not proved. But the main allegations found proved and relating to vulnerable children were so serious as to amount to misconduct and resulted in a ban.
Allen gave oral evidence at the start of the hearing but then chose not to attend for the conclusion. In its written findings the NMC panel said she “disputed” the evidence that she had “flicked” Child C’s penis. She also claimed that water play took place, which Child A enjoyed and was engaged with.
Responding to the allegations she had given another vulnerable child uncomfortable wedgies Allen said to the panel: “‘I would come up behind him and gently tug on his belt loop [tugging it out not up] and walk away laughing.
“If at any time he did have wedgies it was not my intent. To my recollection not at any time did he express any sign of discomfort or annoyance.”
In written findings the committee said: “The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Ms Allen’s actions were serious in that they relate to sexual misconduct and the abuse of vulnerable children. The panel judged that to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body.”
The committee added: “Nothing short of a striking-off order would be sufficient in this case.”
The full list of allegations against Allen found proved by the NMC panel
That on one or more occasions across the course of a period of a year she:
Gave Child A “wedgies” by pulling his underpants up so high that they were uncomfortable. Engaged in water play with Child A and repeatedly soaked Child A after each dry change of clothes. That her conduct at point one was abusive in that it was cruel and/or degrading to Child A. This was found proven in relation to charge point 1a alone in respect of degrading alone. And that on one or more occasion across the course of a period of a year she flicked Child C’s penis without clinical justification and that this conduct was abusive in that it was cruel and/or degrading to Child C. This conduct was also found proved to be sexual in nature.
The panel found allegations that she had thrown food at and “straddled” Child A not proven. Also found not proven were allegations that Allen’s conduct in flicking Child C’s penis had been bullying and deliberately aimed a making a colleague feel uncomfortable and that she had made comments about colleagues’ weight, clothes, and haircuts.
Allen, who was said to have left the hospice and is no longer working as a nurse, had shown no insight into her actions and the panel did not believe her misconduct could be addressed through training, the committee said.
While she had attended some parts of the hearing, which ran from February 25 to March 11 and then from June 18 to June 19, given oral evidence, and questioned witnesses, she told the panel she would not return for the later hearings or conclusion.
Finding such serious allegations and misconduct proved the panel issued an interim suspension order on Allen’s registration for 18 months to allow time for any possible appeal. If she does not appeal then that interim suspension order will be replaced by the substantive striking off order 28 days after Allen is sent the decision of the hearing in writing.
Tŷ Hafan chief executive Irfon Rees said in response to the case the hospice has carried out a thorough internal review of safeguarding and made improvements to safeguarding processes.
He added: “While we do not comment on individual cases involving children we can confirm that a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing has taken place resulting in allegations of misconduct against a nurse who was employed by Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice having been proven. The nurse is no longer employed by Tŷ Hafan.”
He added: “As soon as concerns were raised about the conduct of the nurse in question our care and nursing leadership team acted promptly to conduct a thorough internal investigation, which resulted in Tŷ Hafan proactively referring this matter to the NMC.
“We had also discussed the matter with the safeguarding team at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, including representatives from South Wales Police, and referred the matter to Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.
“The investigation conducted by the NMC found some historical issues in relation to the recognition and reporting of safeguarding concerns. Since we referred the case to the NMC we have conducted a thorough internal review of our approach to safeguarding.
“We have proactively implemented improvements to safeguarding processes and worked hard to promote a culture which supports staff to report safeguarding concerns. Our good safeguarding practices were recognised in our recent inspection report from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.”
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