Write a paper discussing on Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing Based on the Scenario.
Ella is 75 years old and lives in a private nursing home following a stroke that has left her with a left sided weakness. Ella is lively and cares for herself as much as possible. Today Julie is the nurse on duty. Julie offers a bath to Ella and Ella agrees. Julie runs the bath, takes Ella to the bathroom in a wheelchair and transfers her to a hoist with the help of a healthcare assistant. As Ella is lowered into the bath she screams in agony. Ella is raised out of the bath; her lower legs are scalded but not blistered. Unknown to Julie, the hot water system was serviced on the previous day and the temperature raised due to possible legionnaires contamination. Julie complains that it wasn’t her fault Ella got scalded because no one told her of the servicing of the hot water system. The healthcare assistant says an incident form and accident book should be filled in but Julie objects claiming that ‘No need to do any paperwork as no lasting harm’s been done’.
1. Introduction to include confidentiality/anonymity statement and brief guide of scenario and the issues that will be examined in the main text.
2. Professional issues raised by the scenario- discuss accountability, failing to prioritise patients, falling to preserve safety duty of candour, poor communication within the nursing team- not informing of water heater maintenance.
3. Legal issues raised by the scenario- discuss the duty of care, negligence and omissions/blameworthy, non-doing (failing to check bath) health & safety law and accident and reporting, possible consider RIDDOR legal liability of a private healthcare provider. Also to include statutory law and the case law- also use the principles of the case law cited to draw similarities or differences to that of the scenario. So establish why the case law is relevant to your thinking.
4. Ethical issues raised by the scenario, consider autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence as the core principles but also consider justice as the fourth ethical cornerstone.
5. Conclusion- talks about those issues
