A nurse who shoved a toothbrush into the mouth of a dementia patient and threatened another that she would “put him on the floor” has been suspended for a year.

A hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council upheld two charges against Matshediso Sebotso Mathuba during her time as a nurse at Littlestone Hospital Continuing Care Unit.

The hospital in Bow Arrow Lane, Dartford, is a 16-bed ward for people with dementia and challenging behaviours.

On December 1, 2014, Ms Mathuba was washing a patient with dementia and bipolar disorder who had smeared faeces over his body.

A nurse who witnessed the incident said during the hearing that “patient K” refused to brush his teeth and threw the brush into the bath water.

At this point Ms Mathuba pushed the toothbrush into his mouth and brushed roughly, leaving the patient coughing.

The next day, she threatened another patient.

“Patient J” had made a fist gesture at another patient in the hospital, and while being taken away from the situation by another nurse, Ms Mathuba “came across at speed and attempted to remove Patient J from the area” by holding on to his wrists.

In the report the witness stated Patient J became instantly more agitated, and shoved Ms Mathuba slightly, who shouted “don’t do that or I will put you on the floor”.

The panel found that Ms Mathuba “had acted in such a way as to put patients at unwarranted risk of harm, in brushing Patient K’s teeth in a rough manner and in making a wholly inappropriate and threatening comment to Patient J”.

They determined she had brought the nursing profession into disrepute and breached fundamental principles of the nursing profession to respect patients’ dignity.

Because Ms Mathuba denied the allegations throughout the whole process the panel said she has shown minimal remorse or acknowledgement of her wrongdoing and the potential repercussions of her actions on the patients, her colleagues or the reputation of the profession.

Ms Mathuba, who in October 2014 began working at the Byron Lodge Nursing Home in Gillingham, has been suspended from working in the nursing profession for 12 months.