Nurse fined for assaulting patient in Turku

The Southwest Finland District Court on Tuesday convicted a nurse for assaulting an elderly patient at a geriatric psychiatric hospital in Kupitaa, Turku in December 2015.

The court sentenced the nurse to 40-day fines (about EUR 560) as the allegations brought against the nurse were proven beyond doubt, reported the national broadcaster Yle.

The verdict said the nurse had forced an elderly patient into bed restraints for the night by pushing the patient onto the bed, twisting the patient’s arms and pressing a knee against the patient’s throat, said the Yle report.

The Turku-based newspaper Åbo Underrättelser reported that the court said it is widely known that pressing a knee against someone’s throat can be fatal, and that “every adult should know this”.

The court, however, said the defendant’s twisting of the patient’s arms did not establish assault, as it is an approved measure taken for patient’s safety.

The court is also dealing with various crimes charges against other nurses of the hospital, which will be settled later, court sources said.

The authorities of Kupittaa Hospital in Turku earlier terminated the suspected nurse from job, reported by Finnish language tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.

The defendant had worked for a long time as a nurse at the mental health and substance abuse services units.

Kupittaa Hospital has come under public scrutiny recently due to suspected malpractice. The police at the end of February 2016 began an investigation into whether patients have been beaten and treated badly in the hospital’s psychiatric wards.

Turku geriatric hospital has been making headlines for more than two years due to reports of abuse and misconduct.