A NURSE who worked at Colchester General Hospital may be banned from medical practice after being accused of incompetence.

Annette Aka-Dow faces a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing, over charges relating to her care of elderly patients at the hospital, in Turner Road.

Her work on old people’s wards, between October 2005 and 2007, resulted in more than 65 separate complaints.

She is accused of errors in administering medication and failing to diagnose or treat patients correctly.

It is alleged on one occasion, she failed to recognise a patient’s oxygen levels had dropped after failing to reconnect the oxygen after changing a mask.

It is also alleged she wrote “diabetic” on a patient’s wristband rather than the patient’s name, prepared the wrong patient for an enema and gave a drink to a patient who was not supposed to eat or drink anything.

Colleagues also claim they had to intervene to stop incorrect drugs and treatment being given.

This included giving antidepressants to a patient instead of a vitamin and hooking up a patient to a heart monitor when they did not need it.

It is also alleged Aka-Dow, who registered as a nurse in 2005, failed to assess a patient with a history of chest pain, another who was in pain and a third with a dangerously slow heartbeat.

On one occasion, it is alleged she took two hours to admit a new patient to a ward.

Senior nurses also claim she spent too much time on non-urgent tasks such as dressing wounds and weighing patients.

Her case is due to be considered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s fitness to practice panel on November 21.

If she is found guilty, the panel could strike her off, suspend her, or impose conditions on her future service.

Aka-Dow left Colchester’s hospital trust in January 2007.

She is currently allowed to practice as a nurse under supervision, but banned from administering drugs.

A hospital trust spokesman said: “We can confirm Annette Aka-Dow worked here between the dates stated, but we do not wish to make any further comment.”