UK hospital fined after male nurse killed by patient.

London, UK -- The South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust were fined 28,000 [pounds sterling] and ordered to pay 14,000 [pounds sterling] costs, after the Trust admitted neglect which contributed to the death of a 34 year old male nurse while working at Springfield hospital in south London.

The prosecution said the tragedy was "waiting to happen" and the judge called the trust's practices "seriously unacceptable and incompetent". It was the first time an NHS body had been indicted at such a high level.

The nurse was alone as he supervised the patient, who had been admitted that day under the Mental Health Act and was acting aggressively. He had no walkie-talkie or personal alarm, and was not properly trained in restraint techniques.

The Old Bailey Magistrates considered the case was too serious for a summary fine of up to 20,000 [pounds sterling]--the maximum they could impose--and referred it to the crown court, which could have imposed an unlimited fine or up to two years' imprisonment.

The judge said he had to consider that, while a large fine might be appropriate for a profitable organization, the NHS needed funds and a substantial fine would "result in a reduction of healthcare or further injection of taxpayers' money in this case. Such a fine would be entirely circular, travelling from the trust to the Exchequer and back again."

But he had to "mark society's disapproval of avoidable failures."