Rest home nurse cleared of slapping patient

A nurse at an Auckland rest home has been cleared of professional misconduct after an allegation he slapped a 95-year-old dementia patient.

In a ruling released today, the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal said there was not enough evidence to find against Ricardo Merilos.

Suppression orders prevent the naming of the rest home where he worked or any of his colleagues.

Mr Merilos, who arrived in New Zealand from the Philippines and started work at the rest home in 2006, was accused by another worker of slapping the patient.

She told the hearing that when she went into the woman's room she saw movement consistent with, and heard, some slaps.

She believed Mr Merilos had slapped the patient on her arm three or four times, but said that her line of vision was obscured and she did not actually see the slapping.

Mr Merilos denied he slapped the patient, telling the tribunal he was confronted with a difficult situation and was trying to place dressings on a resident who was "being somewhat resistant".

The tribunal ruled that as the complainant did not actually see any slapping, it made the evidence "insufficiently strong".

By "a narrow margin" it concluded the charge should be dismissed.

- NZPA