Nurse struck off after “assisting” patient with will so it benefitted own family

Susan Salem helped arrange for one of her family members to move into the home belonging to a dying patient after they were moved to Rowcroft Hospice in Torquay, Devon.

Salem facilitated in helping the patient change her will so that the family member, who has not been named, could be given a right of residence at her flat for two years.

The arrangement stated that the family member would only be paying £50-per-month for the first year and £65-per-month for the second year.

Whilst employed at Rowcroft Hospice, Salem interfered in the patient’s relationships with two longstanding friends who were both co-executors on her will.

During a six day hearing, the Nursing and Midwifery Council stated that
Salem established herself as a “gatekeeper” to make the patient dependent on her.

And that the nurse, from Paignton, Devon, “robbed” the patient and her friends of spending their final days together.

The NMC yesterday issued Salem with a removal order after deciding that her fitness to practise was impaired after the incidents which took place in 2019.

In making their decision, they said: “The panel took into account Salem’s statement in the meeting notes of 2 October 2019 that she rang patient A’s solicitor and arranged a meeting with Patient A for the purposes of amending patient A’s will.

“Salem also stated that she helped patient A to write down questions and printed them off in advance of this meeting.

“It considered that Salem’s assistance to patient A in contacting her solicitor to amend her will had facilitated a situation in which Salem’s family could benefit from the death of patient A, which amounted to a breach of professional boundaries.

“On 18 September 2019,patient A changed her Will, bequeathing [REDACTED] a right of residence in patient A’s house for two years at the cost of £50.00 per month and £65.00 per month for the first and second years, respectively.”

While referring to Salem’s longstanding friends, known as Ms 1 and Ms 2, the NMC document states: “The panel took into account Ms 1’s evidence that the unexplained deterioration in her longstanding relationship with patient A coincided with Salem’s involvement in patient A’s care.

“She and patient A had enjoyed a longstanding friendship, one in which Ms 1 provided considerable personal support to patient A and was trusted to the extent that she was made co-executor of patient A’s will.

“This was corroborated by Ms 2. The panel noted that Ms 1 stood to gain no financial benefit from patient A’s Will whilst she was co-executor, as the entire estate was to be given to animal charities.

They continued: “Salem told Ms 2 that all communication with patient A was to be through her.

“The panel concluded that Salem deliberately restricted communication between patient A and Ms 2 in order to establish herself as a gatekeeper in order to increase patient A’s dependency on her.

And that: “Salem deliberately restricted communication between patient A and Ms 2 in order to establish herself as a gatekeeper in order to increase patient A’s dependency on her.”

Salem, who was not present at the hearing, also helped the vulnerable patient complete her pension paperwork.

In a letter to the NMC in November 2020, Salem, who had 16 years experience in the sector, admitted that she did not “get it right” with the patient.

She wrote: I understand I became too involved but this was hard not to do when a patient has no one else. I was trying to be her advocate but clearly did not get this right…”

However, the NMC decided that Salem’s fitness to practise was impaired due to her misconduct.

They concluded: “The panel submitted that Salem’s misconduct raises fundamental questions about her professionalism, in that breaching professional boundaries is a serious departure from the standards expected of a nurse.

“The panel proposed that whilst Salem did not herself gain financially from patient A, she forged a relationship with patient A that was outside the scope of her duties as a nurse, from which [her family member] gained a substantial financial advantage.

“This conduct took place over a significant period of time and resulted not only in [the family member] gaining financially, but also in the deterioration of patient A’s relationships with her close friends.”

Speaking today, Rowcroft Hospice CEO Mark Hawkins said: “Rowcroft Hospice is committed to providing the very highest of standards to our patients and we are shocked and saddened by this case.

“Any issues of concern are always taken extremely seriously and fully investigated in accordance with our rigorous internal processes and where appropriate, we arrange full involvement of relevant professional bodies, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

“Whilst we cannot comment publicly on the detail of specific cases, the case referred to was highly unusual.

“We’d like to reassure our patients, their families and the local community that we are fully committed to ensuring the care and safety of our patients at all times.”