Nurse failed to call ambulance when patient had heart attack and died during intimate car meet

A nurse failed to call an ambulance for a patient she was having an affair with while he lay dying in a car.

Penelope Williams, from Wrexham, Wales, was involved in a year-long affair with a man who was also a dialysis patient under her.

However, their secret romance ended in tragedy when the patient blacked out during a late night meeting in a hospital car park in January 2022.

A disciplinary hearing was told that Williams failed to call 999 and instead asked another nurse to come and perform CPR on the man, known as 'Patient A'.

Following the call, the 42-year-old's colleague met her at the student car park.

Speaking during the hearing, the presenting officer said: "She could see a man in the back of a car who was Patient A.

Wales News Service

"Colleague 1 went to check Patient A who was unresponsive so she called 999 asking for the police and ambulance as Mrs Williams had not already called for an ambulance which Colleague 1 had suggested during their phone call.

"The 999 call handler advised Colleague 1 to perform CPR. When they took Patient A out of the car his trousers were down.

"Patient A subsequently died from heart failure and chronic kidney disease triggered by a medical episode."

They went on: "Mrs Williams stated to the police and paramedic in attendance that Patient A messaged her on Facebook explaining he was unwell and so she came to meet him. Later on 9 January 2022, Mrs Williams gave a different account as to how she was at the scene.

"In a statement to the police, she revealed that she and Patient A were in a sexual relationship and that they had previously arranged to meet at the car park that evening."

Williams told the police that she and Patient A had been in the car for about 35 of 40 minutes when he 'started groaning and suddenly died'.

Wales News Service

As a result of the tragic incident, Williams was sacked and struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which stated she had 'brought the nursing profession into disrepute'.

The panel said the disgraced nurse had broken several rules, including communicating with a patient over social media, meeting up with them outside of work, and having a sexual relationship with them.

“Mrs Williams has acted to put patients at risk of harm by failing to contact emergency services when the patient became unwell and when prompted by her colleague," the panel said.

“Mrs Williams has brought the nursing profession into disrepute and breached one of the fundamental tenets of the profession by engaging in an intimate relationship with a patient in breach of guidance on clear sexual boundaries.”

Williams was banned for at least 18 months, at which point she will be able to reapply.