Nurse slapped Parkinson's patient in face, court hears

The trial is taking place at Swansea Crown Court

A nurse slapped an ill, elderly patient in the face while he lay in his hospital bed, a court has heard.

Primrose James, 51, is accused of assaulting 80-year-old Dennis Warlow on 31 May 2022 at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.

It allegedly happened after he hit out at another staff member while Ms James was helping him with his personal care.

Ms James, of Victoria Road, Southend-on-Sea, denies the charge and claims she was acting in self-defence.

Mr Warlow, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, had been a patient in the orthopaedic ward since fracturing his hip in January 2022, and was said to be disruptive and violent at times.

A jury at Swansea Crown Court heard the incident happened after Mr Warlow hit out at healthcare assistant Holly English and Ms James, who were working together to change his bed linen.

Ms James then became aggressive, slapped him multiple times to the left side of his face and used her index finger to forcefully poke him to the forehead, said Ms English.

She claimed Ms James became confrontational and while assaulting him told him he was a "horrible, horrible man" and said she reported the incident that night to leading ward nurse Christine Schofield, who in turn told ward sister Nicola Jones.

Primrose James was a nurse at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire

Prosecutor Sian Vaughan said: "He was quite a vulnerable man, quite frail. But he was a difficult patient who sometimes presented with behavioural problems."

The prosecutor said when Ms James, an agency nurse who had worked on the ward for about two years, was later approached by ward sister Ms Jones, she told her: "I don't hit patients."

When she was interviewed by police, Ms James described Mr Warlow as a "difficult patient", but said the only contact she had with him that night was when she blocked his arm from hitting her.

"It's not the first time he has hit me. I didn't hit him. The only time I had contact with him is when I blocked him. I didn't poke him," she said.

The trial continues.