A registered mental health nurse’s misconduct contributed to a patient’s death, a disciplinary hearing has found.

Martin Thomas Greenhalgh was handed a five-year caution order by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s fitness to practise committee after he admitted misconduct.

Mr Greenhalgh was working on shift as a nurse at Grianagh Court acute in-patient mental health services unit in November 2014 when a high-risk patient informed him of his intention to take his own life. But the nurse failed to record the disclosure or inform the patient’s doctor - although he did tell the nurse in charge of the shift.

While observations were stepped up, the patient’s room was not searched and at 8.15pm that evening he was found dead by a healthcare assistant.

Mr Greenhalgh, who did not attend the hearing at the NMC in London, admitted that his fitness to practise was impaired by reason of his misconduct.

He accepted that his failings had contributed to the patient’s death.

As he was the nurse to whom the patient had disclosed his suicidal thoughts, he had enhanced responsibility to ensure he received appropriate care.

And he accepted he could have brought the nursing profession into disrepute as it is fundamental that nurses take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of those in their care.

But the committee noted that Mr Greenhalgh had an unblemished career until that point, had made full admissions at the earliest opportunity and had sought out and undertaken more training.

The NMC also noted that the nurse was not solely responsible for the failings in this case and the patient had not been his sole responsibility. The committee agreed there were no public protection concerns.

But it concluded that Mr Greenhalgh’s departure from the proper standards of conduct and behaviour expected of nurses was so serious that a finding of current impairment was necessary to maintain public confidence in the profession and the NMC as regulator.

It found that the appropriate sanction in this case was a five-year caution order.

Anyone who inquires about Mr Greenhalgh’s registration during that period will be informed about the order.