Nurse took 32 seconds to decide patient was dead before refusing to perform CPR

NewsUK NewsCare homesA tribunal found Melissa Papandrea relied on her own subjective judgement before refusing instructions from a 999 operator to begin resuscitation on a care home resident15:00, 06 Sep 2026A nurse has been suspended after refusing to perform CPR on a care home resident following an assessment which lasted just 32 seconds.‌Melissa Papandrea was working at Poplars Care Centre in Maidstone when the man stopped breathing and an ambulance was called on November 7, 2022. A tribunal heard the nurse decided the resident had already died before refusing instructions from a 999 call handler to begin resuscitation.‌During the call with the ambulance service, Ms Papandrea said: “I’m a qualified nurse and I can tell you by looking at the resident that he has passed. His heart has stopped.”‌She was told to start CPR because the man “was still warm” and did not have a do-not-resuscitate order in place, but replied “there’s no point”. A transcript considered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council showed the nurse and emergency operator then disagreeing over whether the resident should be resuscitated instead of attempting resuscitation.An emergency operator said: “If he’s still warm, you need to start CPR.” Ms Papandrea replied: “No, I’m sorry, that isn’t possible because he is deceased. I’ve had this argument before with the emergency services. There is no cardiac output. I’m not commencing CPR.”‌The man was subsequently pronounced dead. An inquest later found he died from bowel ischaemia, caused when the blood supply to the intestines is restricted or cut off. But a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)tribunal has now ruled Ms Papandrea did not carry out an adequate clinical assessment before deciding there were irreversible signs of death.The Fitness to Practise Committee, chaired by Derek Artis, said: “The requirement to undertake a proper clinical assessment as to whether [the resident] had signs of irreversible death was a fundamental tenet of the nursing profession. Fellow professionals would consider a failure to follow guidelines in such circumstances to be appalling.”The panel was particularly troubled by the fact Ms Papandrea’s conclusion had been based on her own subjective assessment. The NMC’s report added: “The panel was particularly concerned that Ms Papandrea’s decision that [the resident] had irreversible signs of death was based on her subjective opinion. She could not have known whether or not there might have been a different outcome had CPR been commenced.”‌The tribunal heard that when a first responder reached the care home, Ms Papandrea was asked to assist with resuscitation but witnesses said her chest compressions were not deep enough. Witnesses said she explained she “did not want to break his ribs,” before the responder took over.Ms Papandrea has since acknowledged that her handling of the incident was wrong. In written submissions, Ms Papandrea described her actions as “a serious error in clinical judgement”.She said: “I formed a subjective belief that they were deceased and that resuscitation would not be successful. I recognise now that this was an assumption rather than a clinical conclusion that I was appropriately qualified or authorised to make.”Article continues belowMs Papandrea was suspended for 12 months, with the sanction due to be reviewed. A separate 18-month interim suspension was also imposed to cover any appeal period. The Maidstone care home was rated ‘Good’ at its latest Care Quality Commission inspection in August 2024.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Nursing and Midwifery CouncilCare Quality CommissionCare homesNursing homesFitness