Background of the Incident
A nurse based in Perth has been struck off following two instances of aggressive behavior toward young patients in the psychiatric ward of Bentley Hospital. In one case, he was found to have punched or pushed a boy who had been diagnosed with autism, depression, and anxiety.
Daniel Luckhurst, who had been a registered nurse for 15 years, lost his temper with two vulnerable patients within minutes of each other in 2023. The details of these incidents were revealed in a decision made by the State Administrative Tribunal, which was published last week. This decision followed a referral from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, which claimed there was sufficient cause for disciplinary action against Luckhurst.
First Incident: Interaction with an Aboriginal Man
The first incident occurred when Luckhurst was employed in the East Metropolitan Youth Unit at Bentley Hospital. On August 22, 2023, he took the phone from a young adult Aboriginal man who was described as “particularly vulnerable.” The man had initially been admitted as an involuntary inpatient for three weeks, later staying as a voluntary patient after being diagnosed with psychosis.
An altercation took place between Luckhurst and the man that morning. After taking the mobile phone from the man’s hand, Luckhurst used an angry tone of voice when the man attempted to retrieve it, which further escalated the situation. Luckhurst then followed the man down the corridor, raising his left forearm towards the patient, and failed to maintain professional behavior.
Second Incident: Interaction with a Boy with Autism
The second incident occurred minutes later in the activities room at the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. Luckhurst was alone with a boy who had been admitted involuntarily with a diagnosis of autism, depression, and anxiety. According to the documents, it was contrary to usual practice for a nurse to be left alone with a patient, but another registered nurse had to leave urgently to attend to another patient. A risk assessment had been completed, and the boy was deemed to be of “no imminent risk of aggression.”
The boy had no known history of aggressive behavior towards staff and was regularly managed on the open ward. However, moments after the registered nurse left, the boy told Luckhurst he wanted to leave the activities room, which he was not allowed to do. The boy then reached for Luckhurst’s belt, where his access card was located. Luckhurst pushed his hands away, and the boy started knocking on a nurse’s station window before reaching again for the access card.
According to the SAT documents, Luckhurst “pushed and/or punched” the boy twice on his upper body, raising his hands in “closed fists to adopt a ‘boxing’ stance.” He continued to raise his fists several more times without making further physical contact with the boy.
Response and Consequences
Three staff members then entered the room, with two of them forcibly coming between the boy and the nurse to de-escalate the situation. The documents show that Luckhurst continued to move towards the patient, again holding up his two hands “with the left hand in a clenched fist and in a boxing-like stance.” His conduct was described in the documents as “intimidating, aggressive, and unprofessional.”
Luckhurst stopped working at the hospital on the same day as the incidents and has now been disqualified by the tribunal from applying for registration as a nurse for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay a contribution of the costs incurred by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia in taking the matter to the tribunal.
Possible Contributing Factors
The tribunal heard that the reasons for his conduct could be linked to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder from his military service, as well as ongoing rental and personal stress he was undergoing at the time.
