Nurse at Northampton General Hospital accused of failing to monitor baby properly

The Nursing and Midwifery Council says that Mmatau Kahengua was working at NGH in March 2013 when she failed to make proper records for two consecutive hours.

She is then alleged to have filled in the information retrospectively later that day.

The NMC says her conduct was dishonest because she “intended to conceal” her “misconduct”.

The list of charges also alleges that Kahengua failed to carry out observations on another patient, in three months later, for up to seven-and-a-half hours.

Kahengua is also charged with preparing an intravenous solution with too much salt and double the amount of glucose needed.

When challenged by a colleague as she was preparing the solution, the NMC say, she said words to the effect of: “I’m a registered nurse and I know what I’m doing.”

Further charges relate to an incident on June 22/23 2013 when a patient’s oxygen levels started to fall and Kahengua allegedly did not respond when a fellow nurse asked if the baby was okay and ignored an offer of going to fetch an oxygen canister.

The NMC claim Kahengua also ignored her colleague’s advice that the baby may have needed suction as the low oxygen may have been caused by secretions or vomit in the airway.

For all the above reasons, the NMC say Kahengua’s fitness to practise is impaired because of the misconduct alleged.

The hearing begins on January 25.