A NURSE has been struck off for pushing a patient during a dispute over a cigarette.

Angela Marsh, of Hope Street in Leigh, was deemed to have used unnecessary force against a ‘service user’ at Radcliffe Meadows Care Home, in Culcheth, on September 22, 2010, following a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing.

The incident occurred when the patient woke early and requested a cigarette from Mrs Marsh.

She refused because the patient’s care plan stated she was not allowed one until 5.30am.

The patient became aggressive towards her along with another junior care assistant, who later gave evidence at the Old Bailey hearing, before stealing a cigarette from a patient who had been woken by the noise.

Having already pushed the patient twice to try to get away from her, Mrs Marsh snatched the lit cigarette from the patient and pushed her again with such force that she banged her head against a brick wall.

The panel accepted that two of the pushes were reasonable but ‘snatching the lit cigarette from service user A was unreasonable and pushing her a third time was neither necessary nor a reasonable course of action’.

“Furthermore, to have pushed service user A with such force for her to fall backwards and hit her head on a brick wall was using unreasonable force.”

Mrs Marsh was also found to have failed to ensure that the patient was checked for injuries.

She was cleared, however, of instructing another member of staff not to provide them with a drink when other patients were.

Warrington Borough Living, which runs the care home, welcomed the decision and said Mrs Marsh was suspended as soon as the incident came to light.

Chief executive Michael Sheppard said: “Mrs Marsh’s behaviour was entirely unacceptable and she let down her professional training and qualification, her colleagues and – most importantly to us as an organisation – the people that we support, who can be vulnerable and require the very highest level of specialist assistance that we can offer in order to thrive and enjoy their lives.”