A FORMER nurse on a Lancashire medium secure mental health unit has been cleared of swearing and inappropriately restraining a troubled patient by a professional watchdog.

Keith Johnson, who worked as a staff nurse at Guild Lodge, the Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust mental health facility, had been accused of pinning a man up by a wall by his throat.

Mr Johnson is then said to have marched the patient back to his room at Guild Lodge, which takes in patients from across the county, using an unsanctioned restraint technique.

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But a Nursing and Midwifery Council misconduct panel, after hearing evidence in London, dismissed four charges, which occurred while he was a deputy team leader there in July or August 2013.

One of the main eyewitnesses, the NMC panel was told, was a serving prisoner, and had refused to co-operate with the inquiry after giving an initial statement to the regulator.

His original statement was also said to have "a number of inconsistencies" relating to both the timing of what happened and who was supposed to have been involved, with there even a suggestion at one point that another nurse was responsible.

The misconduct panel said that the alleged incident had taken place within full view of the ward office but there was no suggestion anyone else had seen anything untoward happening.

Mr Johnson told the hearing that he "did not recognise" the incident, as described by the witness. He could recall restraining the patient in question, who had a propensity to attack staff, legitimately on other occasions.

The nurse, who was working on Bleasdale Ward at the time, said that he suffered from a long-term injury, which restricted his ability to deploy restraint techniques.

He was suspended, as a result of the original complaint, and retired in 2013, having never returned to work at the Lancashire Care unit. Lancashire Police were called in, amid safeguarding concerns, but no further action was taken against Mr Johnson.

Dismissing the case, NMC panel chairman Dermot Keating said: "We noted from the police statements that other staff had a high regard for your professional skills and found the alleged incident to be out of character with your usual demeanour.

"This was also consistent with the character evidence in those statements and the positive character references provided by you."