A nurse who swore at an elderly dementia patient and manhandled him back to bed kept his job after his professional body ruled that he was unlikely to do it again.

Bruce Ritchie, 52, was cautioned by police for assaulting the man at the Tregenna House Care Home, Truro, Cornwall, in September 2007.

The mental health nurse forced the man up out of a chair in the lounge and frogmarched him back to bed against his wishes.

Earlier in the evening he had sworn at the patient when he went for a walk on the ward, the panel heard.

Ritchie quit after the incident and received a police caution for common assault in December 2007.

Giving evidence at a disciplinary hearing yesterday the nurse apologised his behaviour and blamed tiredness.

"What I did with patient A was very very bad, almost unforgivable. It should not have happened," he said.

"I can assure you that it will never, never happen again by my hand."

Since November last year Ritchie has been working night shifts at another care home for dementia patients.

Panel chairman Simon Evans announced that the nurse's fitness to practise was not impaired.'

Turning to the nurse he said: "The proceedings against you have now come to an end. We wish you well in your future career."