A male nurse who unwittingly attended a baby shower at an aged care home during Covid lockdowns has been suspended for failing to stop the event and not reporting colleagues for being there.
Denis Baniqued, who was expecting his first child at the time, did not know about the surprise event, held for him and another colleague, until he arrived at the Epping Gardens Aged Care Centre at Epping, in Melbourne’s north, in July 2020.
Shortly afterwards there was a Covid outbreak at the facility claiming the lives of 34 residents.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) heard the male nurse did not know about the shower and only stayed for five minutes.
He also asked nurses from his unit to return to work.
However, the decision handed down this week ruled Mr Baniqued, who was a supervising nurse, should have stopped the party and reported his colleagues attending.
This was despite the subsequent outbreak not being definitively traced to the event although Mr Baniqued did test positive for Covid shortly afterwards.
VCAT ruled the baby shower breached restrictions and nurses were ‘expected to observe the law’, ‘act when something goes wrong’ and intervene ‘where a person’s safety is at risk’.
Mr Baniqued made an emotional apology to residents’ families in a statement that was provided to the tribunal, the Herald Sun reported.
In the apology, Mr Baniqued stated he had failed in his duty as a nurse.
‘I have not once forgotten this mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life,’ he said.
‘The faces and the names of the people I have known and have cared for is still part of my memory and their families that have placed their trust in me that I feel that I have shattered.’
The Tribunal acknowledged Mr Baniqued’s remorse and admission of guilt.
However, they found his behaviour still amounted to professional misconduct and said he should also have told unauthorised people attending the party to leave as well as reporting to management.
Mr Baniqued has been handed a one-month suspension.
He has also been ordered to undergo further training on incident reporting and leadership in nursing.