Ex Bendigo Health male nurse dragged female patient out of bed and undressed her against her will

A Bendigo male nurse yelled at a female patient who was pleading with him not to touch her, “I’m not putting up with this f--king bullshit” before forcibly undressing her.

An ex Bendigo Health nurse surrendered his registration and has been banned by VCAT from reapplying for it after a horror incident. Picture: Zizi Averill

A Bendigo male nurse who “forcibly dragged” an elderly female patient out of bed, undressed her against her will and forced her into a shower while swearing at her, has been banned from providing health care.

The crying patient, who had allegedly been the victim of sexual assault and was a voluntary inpatient at Bendigo Health’s acute psychiatry unit for older people, pleaded with the male enrolled nurse to “don’t touch me, get away, leave me alone“, but was ignored, the Nursing and Midwifery Board at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal was told this month.

Meanwhile nurse Francis Logan “yelled at (the patient) with his face close to hers, words to the effect of ‘I’m not putting up with this f--king bullshit’,” it heard.

Mr Logan also “unilaterally intervened” and ignored the instructions of two female registered nurses, who were his superiors, during the incident on July 29, 2020, when they requested he leave the room and allow them to shower the patient, as agreed in her care plan.

Ignoring the registered nurses’ and his patient’s requests, Mr Logan dragged the patient from her bed and into the shower, forcibly undressing her and removing a soiled incontinence pad without her consent.

“(He) refused to stop and to leave the room when she asked him to and her distress was evident . . . his verbal aggression towards the patient included swearing at her,” the tribunal noted.

The patient was at Bendigo Health’s acute psychiatry unit at the time of the incident. Pictured is the emergency department on Barnard St. Picture: Zizi Averill

It was alleged his conduct had also put other patients at risk, including one prone to falls and who was left unattended when he took over showering of the distressed patient.

Other patients in the intensive care unit had also been left unattended during the incident, it was alleged.

A remorseful Mr Logan — who had been an enrolled nurse for 44 years — had already surrendered his registration but was also banned by VCAT this month from reapplying for it.

He was also prohibited for five years from providing health, home or community-based care with public or private providers, but allowed to continue his current volunteer work with St Vincent de Paul provided no home visits were made.

“Mr Logan is 70 and will not return to nursing. We intend the message to be sent to those nurses (in the small minority) who may consider such conduct acceptable, that, wherever they are in their careers, if they engage in such conduct they will likely find that their career comes to an end,” the tribunal panel said.

Bendigo Health terminated Mr Logan’s employment in August 2020 after it concluded its own investigation and notified the nursing board, which suspended his registration under its immediate action powers in September 2020.

The board subsequently accepted the retrospective surrender of Mr Logan’s registration, effective from 23 August 2021.

Bendigo Health terminated Mr Logan’s employment in August 2020 after it concluded its own investigation and notified the nursing board. Picture: Zizi Averill

“Mr Logan expressed shame and remorse early on, and he accepts that his career is now at an end as a result of what he described as a ‘meltdown’,” the tribunal noted, in finding the allegations proven.

“He does not excuse the conduct, but it is relevant background that at the time he was experiencing severe stressors, primarily the death of his mother and the end of his 35-year marriage. He was also managing his own longstanding mental health challenges, as well as some cognitive issues identified in the health assessment carried out as part of the Board’s investigation.

“To his credit, Mr Logan co-operated with the investigation and these proceedings. He admits the allegations, agrees with the Board that he has engaged in serious professional misconduct, and agrees with the Board that he should be reprimanded and disqualified from applying for re-registration for a significant period. In our view, the negotiated agreement between the parties, and the submissions made, reflected a balanced and appropriate outcome.”

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