Nurse Anita Du Maurier’s registration cancelled

A tribunal has revealed how a nurse, who spat on and swore about an aged care resident with dementia, will be punished.

A nurse at Barwon Health’s Blakiston Lodge, located at the McKellar Centre site, spat on a patient.

The registration of a nurse who spat at an aged care resident with dementia at a Barwon Health facility has been cancelled.

Veteran nurse Anita Du Maurier was working at Blakiston Lodge, located at the McKellar Centre site in North Geelong, in 2019 when a resident spat at her.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) found she responded by spitting back at them.

The tribunal found she used vulgar language or inappropriate communication in the vicinity of staff and other residents.

Ms Du Maurier said “f***ing c***” and entered a room occupied by two residents and another enrolled nurse, and said loudly, “that little c*** spat into my face”, VCAT documents showed.

“The comment … was directed toward junior staff who Ms Du Maurier had the responsibility of supervising,” the VCAT documents said.

“Those comments placed junior staff in an uncomfortable position.”

Ms Du Maurier’s health practitioner registration has been cancelled and she was disqualified from applying for registration for a period of two years from January 11.

Ms Du Maurier was aware of the risk of the resident spitting, the VCAT documents said.

On the night, Ms Du Maurier was the associate nurse unit manager and in charge of the workplace, which the tribunal deemed an aggravating factor.

“She was expected to provide leadership and set standards,” tribunal members wrote.

Ms Du Maurier indicated through her counsel that she had retired and had no plans to return to nursing or to work in any related field, VCAT documents said.

“(She) contested the allegations and as conceded by her counsel this means there is no evidence of remorse, insight or the taking of responsibility for the conduct,” the tribunal members wrote.

The tribunal found Ms Du Maurier’s behaviour constituted professional misconduct.

She had been suspended since January 2020.

VCAT has now ruled Ms Du Maurier is prohibited from providing any health service involving provision of care to people in rehabilitation facilities, palliative care facilities, residential aged care, or to people receiving home or community based aged care or disability care, for two years from January 11.

Last year, it was reported Du Maurier told the tribunal she was stood down and escorted off Barwon Health premises by security.

Blakiston Lodge cares for elderly people with dementia and mental illness.

Originally published as Nurse Anita Du Maurier’s registration cancelled