Royal Lancaster Infirmary Hospital nurse who hit vulnerable dementia patient struck off

A litany of accusations against Eugenia Mujima Ugwoaga spanning from 2021 to 2023 were submitted to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The council heard that on August 27, 2021, while working on Ward 3, Mrs Ugwoaga shouted at another nurse in front of patients and family members.

It was also found that in January 2022, while working on Ward 23, Mrs Ugwoaga yelled and swore at another registered nurse.

In her statement, the colleague claimed the incident occurred after she spotted Mrs Ugwoaga handing out full face masks to other nurses working in the Covid-19 bay.

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“I asked her why she was giving them out as they were the wrong masks to use unless you were allocated that mask at your fitting,” she said.

“She started to shout at me really loudly saying ‘you want me to die’, ‘you are wicked’. She started to shout in Nigerian and swear and spit.

“Her body language was really intimidating and she was gesturing with her hands and arms aggressively.”

The panel accepted that Mrs Ugwoaga shouted and swore at her colleague as her oral evidence was consistent with her witness statement.

However, although the colleague wrote Mrs Ugwoaga had “spat” in her written statement, she confirmed no salvia had left her mouth.

This claim was subsequently not upheld by the council.

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On September 2, 2022, Mrs Ugwoaga was caught by a clinical support worker hitting a male patient suffering with “severe dementia”.

In his witness statement, he said: “I heard a loud scream from a female so I immediately came out of the utility room to see what was happening.

“As I stepped out of the utility room, I saw Eugenia with her back to Patient A and she swung her body and arms around and back handed Patient A.

“Eugenia’s right forearm swung round and connected with Patient A’s throat area.”

When he spoke to other colleagues about what had happened, Mrs Ugwoaga claimed he was a “liar” and that it was a “conspiracy”.

Mrs Ugwoaga also failed to attend Preston Magistrates Court on March 30, 2023 after being charged with common assault by postal requisition on February 8, 2023.

She also failed to notify the NMC of her criminal charge despite being aware of their code of conduct.

The committee judged that due to the number of charges and the timeframe, a striking off order was the most suitable sanction.

“Mrs Ugwoaga’s conduct was a significant departure from the standards expected of a registered nurse,” the report said.

“The panel considered that the serious breach of the fundamental tenets of the profession evidenced by Mrs Ugwoaga’s actions is fundamentally incompatible with Mrs Ugwoaga remaining on the register.

“In this particular case, the panel determined that a suspension order would not be a sufficient, appropriate or proportionate sanction.”

Tabetha Darmon, Chief Nursing Officer at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said she had been made aware of the hearing and subsequent decision.

She added: “It wouldn't be appropriate to comment on the details of this particular case but I would like to make it clear that we will not tolerate any actions of verbal or physical abuse towards our colleagues or patients, under any circumstances.

“We aim to be a place of safety at all times and any individual whose actions counteract that will be held to account.

"We have a series of safeguarding measures in place that allow colleagues and patients to raise any concerns or issues, including Freedom to Speak Up and our Patient Liaison Service.

“Any concerns raised are looked into and appropriate action taken to ensure everyone's safety.”