Latest news with #nurse
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Emails discussing nurse probe should not have been written, Peggie tribunal told
Emails discussing nurse probe should not have been written, Peggie tribunal told Emails between witnesses discussing an investigation into a gender critical nurse who was suspended following a dispute with a transgender doctor 'should not have been written', a consultant told a tribunal. Sandie Peggie was suspended after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, Fife, on Christmas Eve 2023. She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment and cited concerns about 'patient care'. Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation. ADVERTISEMENT The tribunal resumed in Dundee on July 16 after an initial set of hearings in February. On Tuesday, Dr Kate Searle, a consultant in emergency medicine, gave evidence and denied 'deliberately concealing' an email sent on January 5 2024 by fellow consultant Maggie Currer, with six potential witnesses plus Dr Upton included. A judicial order was made in January by the tribunal, however documentation emerged during the hearings in February and an IT trawl was commissioned which Dr Searle said all clinicians involved complied with. Barrister Naomi Cunningham, representing Ms Peggie, said: 'I want to suggest you deliberately concealed it to conceal wrongdoing of colleagues.' Dr Searle said: 'It would be dishonest to do that and I'm a doctor who acts as honestly as I can at all times.' ADVERTISEMENT In her evidence, Dr Searle said that she had no concerns about Dr Upton's allegations as the General Medical Council requires 'honesty and integrity'. However, she said she was 'never informed' that a referral to the Nursing and Midwifery Council had been made, the tribunal heard. She said that she emailed Dr Upton with others included later in January to give an 'update' on the investigation. But during cross-examination, Dr Searle admitted 'that we should not have written these things in a group email to witnesses'. Ms Cunningham said the email on January 5 2024 was 'seriously embarrassing to the respondents' and said it 'appears to be an intention to set up and co-ordinate a group who should not be talking about this as they're witnesses'. She added: 'It says 'information must not be shared outside this group as risk of foot in mouth syndrome – it is quite a serious risk of foot in mouth syndrome'.' Dr Searle said: 'I can appreciate that in hindsight we should not have written these things in a group email to witnesses.' ADVERTISEMENT Ms Cunningham quoted from Dr Upton's evidence, including that using female changing rooms was 'a thing I have been instructed to be the most appropriate', and describing biological sex as a 'nebulous dog whistle'. Dr Searle denied telling the junior doctor to use female facilities, and said: 'Definitely no instructions were given.' She agreed that biological sex was 'significant', but when the term 'nebulous dog whistle' was put to her, she denied knowing what it meant. Ms Cunningham said: 'I think it must follow that anyone who describes biological sex as a 'nebulous dog whistle' would be talking obvious nonsense.' Dr Searle said: 'I'm not sure what that means.' The witness said she emailed Equalities lead Isla Bumba on December 8 2023 as Dr Upton felt 'uncomfortable' about Ms Peggie 'self-excluding' from the female changing room, but said she 'didn't recall' raising the possibility of taking it further, as mentioned in an internal investigation. ADVERTISEMENT She said she Googled policies around self-identification, and added: 'I'm not a law expert – if you Google it, it comes up under Equality Act, there are many references to toilets and changing rooms. I subsequently emailed Isla Bumba who is much more expert in Equalities than me. She agreed there is no policy.' The consultant denied that she perceived self-exclusion as 'misbehaviour'. Dr Searle said: 'We would have discussed it if Dr Upton was very uncomfortable and it was affecting them'. She said a discussion would have involved 'compassion and kindness', but added: 'It doesn't sound otherwise like there's anything to take further.' Ms Cunningham said: 'At the time you discussed it with Dr Upton you considered this to be misbehaviour, she (Ms Peggie) was behaving badly and making him feel uncomfortable.' However, Dr Searle said: 'Beth felt uncomfortable that Sandie appeared to not want to engage.' Ms Cunningham said: 'My question was: both you and he regarded Sandie's conduct in removing herself a form of misbehaviour?' Dr Searle said: 'I don't agree we would have classed it as misbehaviour.' Ms Cunningham said: 'I think you've already confirmed that email to Isla Bumba on December 8 was prompted by a conversation about Sandie removing herself from the changing room when he was there, that's right? 'You ask if there's any policies around transgender staff and suggest Dr Upton might be keen to help develop some; is it fair for the tribunal to infer the possibility of developing policies to make it easier for Dr Upton to take matters further?' Dr Searle said: 'No, I don't agree. I think there needs to be an NHS Fife policy on how everyone can feel comfortable in changing areas of their choosing.' The tribunal continues.
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Ivorian jailed for saying president should not have been born
Tokpa Flan Japhet, a 43-year-old nurse, 'was tried and sentenced on July 18 to 36 months in prison'Japhet had in a Facebook post said if Ouattara's mother had 'had an abortion' she 'would have saved Africa'ABIDJIAN: Ivory Coast has sentenced a nurse to three years in jail for saying Africa would have been saved if President Alassane Ouattara had not been sentence comes months before the west African country's presidential election at the end of October, with the opposition accusing Ouattara's government of attempting to stifle dissent in the youth leaders from the main opposition Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) have been arrested since June over a social media post calling for mobilization against the party leader Tidjane Thiam is among several prominent opposition figures to have been excluded from the October 25 Flan Japhet, a 43-year-old nurse, 'was tried and sentenced on July 18 to 36 months in prison' and fined $8,500 'despite his request for a pardon,' Abidjan's public prosecutor Oumar Braman Kone said in a statement on had in a Facebook post said if Ouattara's mother had 'had an abortion' she 'would have saved Africa.''Neither repentance... nor a request for forgiveness has any effect on the reality of the offenses,' Kone man, Moussa Diakate, was arrested after posting a video in which he 'made death threats against supporters of a political group,' the prosecutor Coast, a former beacon of stability in troubled west Africa, has repeatedly experienced violence during elections after the country's first coup in late 2010 and early 2011, poll-related violence claimed some 3,000 lives after then-president Laurent Gbagbo refused to recognize Ouattara's election 83, has not confirmed whether he will run for a fourth term, although he has been tapped by his party to do so.
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
My daughter's health was a mystery. The answer was on the other side of the world
Right after my daughter, Maggie, was born in 2012, she held her hands clasped together against her chest. 'Like she's praying!' a nurse said in a singsong voice. But when the pediatrician walked in, the mood changed. 'Praying?' she asked, her voice tight. The nurse and I stepped back while the pediatrician gently moved Maggie's limbs, testing how much they could straighten or bend. While some tightness in the hips or knees can be normal for a newborn, Maggie's joints were unusually tight and her limbs could not straighten all the way. The pediatrician pointed out the rounded soles of Maggie's feet. 'A handful of genetic conditions can cause the shape of her feet. Most of them are fatal,' she said. I stared at her, unable to process the word 'fatal' in connection to the brand new, six-pound person I'd brought into this world. Over the next seven days, I rarely slept. The children's hospital put me up in a Ronald McDonald house a mile away from the NICU, where Maggie had been transferred. Every three hours, I walked to the NICU to breastfeed and pump. I was anxious and scared, signing off on procedures and tests, and answering dozens of questions about my pregnancy, diet, lifestyle and family history. By the time Maggie left the hospital, she had been seen by neurology, genetics, internal medicine and orthopedics. Then the results came: she had tested negative for the scary fatal conditions. The relief floored me. But she also tested negative for every other known diagnosis. 'Why are her joints stiff?' I asked her last doctor right before discharge. He shrugged and said, 'We can only get to know her as an individual. Sometimes it is not a bad thing to see how unique each person really is.' I agreed that accepting my daughter's differences was essential. But I worried that the physicians had missed something. For the next two months, I sat in front of the computer, flipping through Maggie's 50-page medical chart and searching terms like 'multiple joint contractures', 'vertical talus', 'high arched palate' and 'micrognathia'. Eventually, I discovered pictures of children with similar limbs in medical journals and studies about arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, or AMC – an umbrella diagnosis describing infants born with multiple contracted joints. I showed Maggie's new pediatrician screenshots. The condition was incredibly rare, he said; in his 30-year career, he had met only three babies who looked like my daughter, all during his time as a military physician overseas. He referred us to the closest specialty clinic, which was five states away in Philadelphia. 'She has a community. You just haven't met them yet,' he said. I knew the trip would be daunting with an infant and Maggie's two-year-old sibling in tow. But for the first time, I had some answers and knew where to look for more. Six months later, Maggie and I arrived for her first appointment at the clinic. We saw five specialists, which took nine hours. Some mysteries were solved. I learned the term for her feet: 'rocker bottom', the soles curving like the bottoms of cartoon boats. Surgery could guide them to grow flatter and arched, so she could learn to bear weight and eventually walk. Since birth, Maggie's elbows had loosened, but her knees still didn't flex all the way. We would need to take annual weeks-long trips to Philadelphia so the doctors could slowly stretch Maggie's ankles and knees, wrap them in casts, saw off the casts a week later, stretch a little farther, and cast again. Still, we had no diagnosis. 'What caused all this?' I asked the doctors. I was afraid to voice my other questions: Will she walk or talk? How different will she be from her sibling? What decisions will I have to make? How will I know what is right? In the United States, parents of the one in six children with developmental delays ask such questions every day. For the approximately 15 million children who have received a rare diagnosis, defined as one that affects fewer than 200,000 people, the future is unknowable. Some diagnoses, like Maggie's, are so rare that they aren't seen as profitable subjects for research funding. People with these 'orphan conditions' have to rely on themselves, their families, and grassroots endeavors to fund and discover treatments. Navigating the maze of anxiety and 'what ifs' felt relentless. Then I joined a Facebook group dedicated to the AMC specialist clinic we had visited, where parents shared pictures of their children, diagnoses, concerns, treatments and contact information for specialists. I introduced myself and posted pictures of Maggie. Immediately, Alyssa Wolfe, a mother and nurse, messaged me. She pointed out that her daughter, Delaney, had the same rocker bottom feet as Maggie, a rarity in the group. Our daughters both had one middle finger stuck flexed at the joint, and similar faces: a small chin, and a broad nose bridge that makes their eyes look farther apart than most babies'. Delaney was three years older than Maggie. For years, I tracked Alyssa and Delaney's progress through treatments, surgeries and diagnoses. Having another parent to talk to about major decisions was a huge relief. Maureen Donohoe, a physical therapist, was also in the group, as she worked with many children with arthrogryposis. She had been gathering stories from patients like Maggie and Delaney because they 'were different from the others with AMC, but they had so many of the same characteristics, it was impossible to ignore', she said. Alyssa had met Maureen at an arthrogryposis conference before I joined the group. 'In an elevator, Maureen approached me, listing off Delaney's attributes. I asked her if she somehow read my child's medical chart. Maureen told me, 'No,' but she had been hypothesizing with a geneticist about a syndrome, and she thought Delaney had it,' Alyssa said. After coming across six patients with these characteristics, Maureen had told Dr Judith Hall, a clinical geneticist and pediatrician, this might be a genetic anomaly worth studying. 'After Dr Hall looked at her own notes, she called me and said, 'I have 10,'' she said. Connecting with Alyssa and Maureen was the first major step in identifying Maggie's condition. But what was the next step? As Maggie grew, her development continued to be markedly different from that of other kids her age. By the time she was three, she could scoot but not yet crawl. Most kids her age with AMC had been mobile for at least a year. But one day, in physical therapy, she suddenly stood with the help of a toy shopping cart. Then she learned to use a walker. Over the years Maureen noticed a similar trend with kids like Maggie. 'They do their best weight-bearing and walking around preschool age,' she said. 'When they get older, they seem to have a harder time maintaining a center of gravity.' Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion There was another big difference. Maggie was talking constantly, but her sounds were disorganized. Nobody could understand her. Most children with AMC alone had no speech problems at all. It was hard to find resources, but our speech therapist helped us get an iPad program that Maggie could use to talk. She'd press a button on a grid of images and common words, and the iPad would say the word. Her first sentence blew me away. Maggie was sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast while I washed dishes. 'I need money,' her talker said in a mechanized child's voice. I paused, holding a bowl. Maggie pressed the 'talk' button again, and the sentence repeated. She pointed at my purse and threw her head back, guffawing. She'd made a joke. I said, 'You need money!' over and over, laughing, nearly sobbing, dripping soapy water everywhere. Within a year, Maggie was using her talker to ask for snacks and toys, to complain, to tell her new baby brother, 'You're cute!' At school, Maggie verbally repeated every word she or her friends pressed. By the end of the school year, the talker was gathering dust in our coat closet. Maggie's limitations and sudden moments of progress surprised even the doctors who specialized in arthrogryposis. At every turn, I wanted to celebrate her success, but the gap widened between her and the other kids with the condition. Isolating a genetic anomaly is a 'diagnostic odyssey' that many families embark on, said Dr Michael Bamshad, head of genetic medicine in pediatrics at the University of Washington. 'There's all this data that sits locked away in medical records. A physician in one state may know of three similar cases, a physician in another state may know about five,' said Bamshad, 'but there aren't many ways for those families to find each other.' Bamshad, his colleague Jessica X Chong and their colleagues have researched the power of social media in genetic discovery. They launched a secure, free genetic information sharing site, MyGene2, in 2016. 'Families and clinicians can share their genetic information to help them find answers,' said Chong. Alyssa and I input our daughters' data and hoped for more information. But the waiting game was long, and we felt powerless. Alyssa recently described it to me as a three-part process: 'In the beginning, parents are typically very active on social media, trying to understand their kid and hoping to give them as normal of a life as possible,' she said. Then, 'sometime in elementary or middle school, their development stalls' and the focus shifts from 'fixing' the issue to maintenance through puberty. This can all be 'very isolating', she said. 'Parents with typically developing kids often stop hanging out with you.' But 'an acceptance stage' can come via social media groups like ours, which are 'sometimes the only place to find connection and friends who understand'. In 2017, Catherine Paul-Fijten, a mother and molecular biologist who lives in Dubai, used Facebook groups to connect with parents whose kids resembled her daughter, Milou. I didn't know about Milou yet, but she had the same physical traits as Maggie, who was five by then. Milou's doctors had located a difference on the ZC4H2 gene shortly after birth, and Catherine organized a meeting of doctors and geneticists – including Maureen and Dr Bamshad – to review the current, albeit limited, research. Maureen sat next to Bamshad, scrolling through pictures of Maggie, Delaney and other children with rocker bottom feet and tiny chins. Bamshad suggested that we both report our daughter's symptoms on MyGene2 and apply for testing. Within a year, the diagnosis was confirmed: Maggie also had an anomaly of the ZC4H2 gene. At the time, fewer than 50 people with a similar genetic difference had ever been identified. Catherine used personal resources to start a foundation to research the impacts of this new genetic diagnosis, updating a new, dedicated Facebook group regularly with insights. The diagnosis gave us a sense of belonging through the shared goal of understanding our kids and learning how to help them grow. The dramatic impact of online support groups for children with rare diagnoses has been well documented for more than 20 years. Online information sharing among parents has been found to strengthen treatment and mental health support for families and children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), neurologic disorders and other rare genetic disorders as well as more common diagnoses like diabetes and childhood cancers. While the ZC4H2 gene difference is rare, research into rare conditions is crucial – 'not just for the people who have that diagnosis – but for humanity as a whole', Catherine said. That's because 'much of what we know about the function of the human genome comes from understanding the genetic basis of rare diseases', said Bamshad, citing examples including common heart conditions and vaccine research. 'What we've learned about rare diseases helps us understand the genetic and molecular basis of common conditions as well.' The ZC4H2 group has nearly 200 members, though nearly 250 people with this condition have now been identified globally. Because of their stories, I was prepared. In 2023, at the beginning of sixth grade, Maggie suddenly presented with severe scoliosis, and I knew she would probably need a full spinal fusion because I'd heard about related complications from our ZC4H2 community. I shared this information with Maggie's spinal surgeon, as well as a list of other surgeons who had had to manage these complications, and she formed a pre-emptive plan. During Maggie's spinal surgery, I let myself get lost in the labyrinthian halls of the hospital for hours, cellphone in one hand, operating room pager in the other. As with her previous 10-plus surgeries, I didn't allow myself to imagine what was happening or what could go wrong. As I stood in the hallway, I scrolled through encouraging comments and messages from Alyssa, Catherine and others. Despite our different jobs, family culture and background, we'd collaborated with doctors, scientists, physical and speech therapists – and each other – for more than a decade. Their support didn't guarantee a perfect future for my daughter, but their generosity was a profound gift. The operating room pager went off. My phone rang. The charge nurse told me my daughter was waking up, that surgery had been a breeze. I rushed to the recovery room, tapping the app to share the news while I waited for Maggie to be wheeled in. At the top of the feed, a new member had posted about her child's fresh diagnosis, her questions, her fears. I abandoned my own update to type the words that changed the course of my life and Maggie's childhood: Welcome! You are not alone. Asha Dore is a journalist, illustrator, and speech-language therapist.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
"Imposter nurse" with 20 aliases and 7 Social Security numbers arrested in Washington County, officials say
A woman is accused of pretending to be a nurse and working at multiple facilities in the Pittsburgh area. Pennsylvania State Police and the Washington County District Attorney's Office announced that Shannon Womack is in custody and accused of working as a nurse at multiple facilities in western Pennsylvania for the last five years, and investigators say she is not a licensed professional. "The investigation showcased Womack was using the identification and nursing certifications from four different confirmed nurses from southern states," state police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said. Gagliardi said troopers found that she worked as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse and registered nurse supervisor. "She was acting as this RN for about five years now, and that ranges all the way from George to Connecticut. So, you have a bunch of different states in that range," he said. Womack is listed on Georgia's "nursing imposter alerts." Here are the facilities where police say she worked in Pennsylvania: According to the criminal complaint, Womack worked anywhere from one to 10 shifts. The complaint said that at each location, she was placed on a "do not retain list" for things like professional misconduct and poor performance, and she was accused of stealing drugs, including oxycodone, in some cases. The investigation began when troopers pulled the 39-year-old woman over in Cecil Township on a regular traffic stop in April. She allegedly provided aliases that had numerous active warrants. "The search warrant of the vehicle showcased multiple forms of ID, a lot of medical records were in the car, and a bunch of prescription medications that were attached to residents in health care homes or nursing home facilities," Gagliardi said. State police uncovered that Womack had about 20 aliases and seven Social Security numbers. Trooper Gagliardi explained how she allegedly went to great lengths to get the nursing jobs. "Womack obtained employment through staffing agencies and even through that point was able to create her own host agency, so she was picking up the phone and transferring those employment jobs and careers to herself," he said. The criminal complaint says she also provided fake references to agencies to clear background checks. Womack is facing nearly two dozen charges. She's charged with corrupt organizations, endangering welfare of care, unlawful use of computer, identity theft, forgery and theft by unlawful taking. "This is a vile act or acts, I should say, not only taking advantage of older citizens in this commonwealth but them not receiving the care that they need nor the medication they need because of someone that puts themself in this position to defraud them," Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh said. State police are working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of State regarding all the victims of the case. Troopers expect to hear from a lot of impacted families. Arrest warrants are likely being filed in other states.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Repeatedly outbid': readers share stories of housing despair as Australia's prices reach record highs again
Dozens of Guardian Australia readers have shared their experiences of trying to buy a home in a rising market, as fear-of-missing-out fervour takes hold. After a short reprieve, property prices have surged to record highs across large parts of Australia, making a family home even more unaffordable for prospective buyers. One Melbourne reader, a nurse, said she felt like cattle herded from one home open to the next. 'Multiple times I went to inspections of properties I liked, only to be told on the way out that there was already an offer of $30-50k over asking and if I was interested I needed to submit a better offer within a few hours,' said the reader, who eventually secured a property. 'The market was so competitive I felt really rushed into making a decision a lot of the time.' Auctions are heating up across the country, with six straight weeks of preliminary clearance rates holding above 70%, according to Cotality data, in a clear sign sellers are in control. Clearance rates refer to the percentage of properties sold at auction compared with the total number of properties listed to go under the hammer, with results above 70% viewed as an indicator of strong buying demand. Bidding is expected to become even more fierce amid expectations of further interest rate cuts and an enduring lack of supply of homes. Property prices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth are at peak levels, while Melbourne, Canberra and Hobart are also rising. A reader in Western Australia's south-west said she and her partner bought far from their family and friends in Perth 'not because we were seeking a lifestyle change but because we simply couldn't compete in the city or suburbs any more. 'We went to countless inspections and put in offer after offer, but were repeatedly outbid, ignored by real estate agents or told homes were under offer before we'd even had a chance,' the reader said. 'At the same time, we were grappling with housing instability, facing no-ground evictions and repeated rent increases.' The couple aged in their early 30s are now so financially stretched with their new mortgage they've made the decision not to have children. 'We simply can't afford to raise a family,' the reader said. 'That's not something we ever imagined we'd have to sacrifice, but this housing crisis has forced people like us to choose between stability and the future we once hoped for.' Many readers commented on the presence of investors bidding up prices at auctions. Over the past five years, investors have increased their share of new home loans from 28% to 37%, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. One Canberra resident said she wanted to buy a home to provide stability for her family after moving between rentals eight times in nine years. The public servant went to two auctions where the same investor bid up prices, with his teenage son filming. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'I saw the same guy at an open house for the house we purchased and gave him a filthy look of recognition,' said the reader, who was pleased the investor didn't lodge a bid for her eventual home. A Melbourne reader said while it wasn't always possible to identify who he was bidding against, 'it was always obvious at auctions who were the first home buyers as they bowed out first'. Most market watchers attribute the growing influence of investors to favourable tax settings, including the Howard-era decision to halve the rate of capital gains tax. Those settings are particularly helpful to investors when many prospective first home buyers are being priced out of the market. Australia's intense housing problem, whereby Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane are all in the top 10 least affordable global cities, has a knock-on effect across society, with foster care agencies reporting a fall in the number of applicants given many people can't afford the time and don't have the spare room to be a carer. Some readers have turned to 'rent-vesting', a strategy of renting a home to live in while buying a more affordable property elsewhere, in the hope that capital growth will pay for a future deposit. A Sydney reader said he and his wife tried to buy a home for 15 years. 'The most frustrating thing was watching our rent, continuously being raised, go to pay someone else's mortgage,' he said. 'We had to become part of the problem to beat the system. We had to rentvest for five years to accumulate enough equity to pay for our own home.'
