A mental health nurse has been removed from his profession after being found guilty of taking patients outside a secure facility to wash his car as part of their “therapy”.
Ian Brown, employed at Foxhall House in Ipswich, a low-secure unit for male offenders with mental illness, faced a misconduct hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regarding his actions in 2019.
Allegations against Mr. Brown included claims that he justified taking patients out to wash his car as a form of therapy. The Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) confirmed that appropriate internal procedures were followed in response to the allegations.
According to the hearing’s report, Mr. Brown, who joined the NMC register in February 2018 and started working at Foxhall House in February 2019, had previously worked at the Suffolk Rehabilitation and Recovery Service. Concerns about his behavior towards colleagues and patients were raised at that time, leading to his redeployment to Foxhall House.
One incident in August 2019 involved Mr. Brown allegedly taking four residents, one without authorization, outside to wash his car. A colleague testified that Mr. Brown referred to this activity as therapy for the patients.
In response to the allegations, Mr. Brown argued that washing a car was more constructive than smoking outdoors. Another incident in September 2019 saw Mr. Brown accused of opening a secure gate in a garden, resulting in a patient absconding. He stated that he was following instructions to clear wood from the area and attributed the incident to a mistake.
Despite Mr. Brown’s resignation in October 2019, an investigation review conducted a year later concluded that he would have been dismissed for misconduct had he remained employed by NSFT. The NMC panel determined that Mr. Brown’s actions fell significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and constituted multiple breaches.
The NMC report emphasized the seriousness of Mr. Brown’s misconduct, noting that his actions were deemed deplorable by fellow nursing professionals. Consequently, the decision was made to strike him off the NMC register to ensure public safety and to send a clear message about the expected standards of behavior for registered nurses.
A spokesperson for NSFT expressed disappointment in Mr. Brown’s actions, emphasizing the importance of patient safety and adherence to professional values. They confirmed that appropriate internal procedures were followed and that Mr. Brown was referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for investigation.
