A NORTH Yorkshire nurse dressed care home residents in nappies so she could sleep during the night shift, an inquiry heard.

Ann Marie Lee, 40, allegedly curled up in an armchair and set her mobile phone alarm to wake her up just before the day nurses came on duty.

She even filled in notes and drug records in advance to give her more time to doze off at Windsor Lodge Nursing Home in Harrogate, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) heard yesterday.

Lee, who present at the hearing, faces six charges of professional misconduct.

Four care assistants claim nurse Lee would sometimes settle down for her nap at 11pm and not get up until 6am the next morning.

"She was sleeping through the night because she was pre-occupied elsewhere at other times with sporting interests and four days a week at college," said David Glendinning, for the NMC.

Only one of the 24 elderly residents should have been wearing a nappy during the night, the hearing was told.

Sister Lee allegedly linked up two catheters to take up to 1,000ml of urine so they would not have to be changed.

At 6am, the nurse would get up and go around the home removing the catheters and nappies and cleaning up the patients, it is claimed.

One patient suffered blisters after being put in a nappy because he was allergic to plastic, the hearing heard.

Lee, who joined the home in June 1999, was caught out when owner Marjorie Ludlam made a surprise visit to the home at 3.30am on December 5, 2001.

She and her husband found Lee asleep on the chair and were just about to take a photograph when she awoke.

Lee admitted she had been asleep but claimed she had only dropped off for 30 minutes after going round the patients.

She was suspended from duty immediately.

Lee, from Harrogate, is also accused of speaking harshly to six residents at the home between August 2000 and December 2001.

Lee admits completing nursing notes and administration records, and setting out drug pots in advance, on the night of December 5.

She denies sleeping on duty, putting on nappies and catheter bags and speaking inappropriately to residents.

The hearing continues.

Updated: 10:36 Friday, June 13, 2003