Child found in maggot-ridden home 'after failings by health visitor'

HEALTH visitor Angella Pinto neglected toddlers and babies by failing to visit them and stuffing patient records into her desk drawers instead of filing them, a hearing was told.

In one case, a child was found in a maggot-ridden home and put into care after she failed to visit the family.

After the Gloucester worker's "astonishing" lack of record keeping came to light, nearly 200 cases were reviewed to ensure children were not at risk, the Nursing and Midwifery Council was told.

She was suspended from Bartongate Surgery after a 15-year career.

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A central London hearing upheld a string of allegations against her, but ran out of time before it could consider whether her actions constituted professional misconduct.

Cate Carrington-Green, a senior manager at NHS Gloucestershire, conducted an internal inquiry into Pinto's patient records after a random audit revealed some had been filled in retrospectively.

"I have never seen failing to such an extent before," she told the hearing. "As a health visitor, she is expected to be an experienced and senior nurse."

Pinto was suspended in September 2007 after issues were raised. She was subsequently sacked by Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust for gross misconduct.

Mrs Carrington-Green said a series of highly sensitive and confidential papers were found in and around Pinto's desk at work. "I was shocked with the information we discovered," she said. "The range of documents, from 1992 to 2003, of patients' records, medical results, referrals, and records of meetings with clinicians. There was confidential data and in some cases highly sensitive information."

Pinto told the hearing that she repeatedly asked for help with her caseload, but that she was ignored by management on each occasion.

However Jamie Hunt, for the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said the workload she had was no different to other health visitor colleagues.

Pinto admitted five charges, while another 20 were found proved, of poor record keeping and failing to follow-up on reports of health problems in children aged four and under.

Five charges were not proved, including an allegation of dishonesty.

Pinto, who represented herself at the central London hearing last week, also denied keeping confidential records in her desk.

The hearing will resume on March 25 and 26.

Staff at the surgery were unable to comment but confirmed she had not worked there since 2007.