Is restraint ever legally acceptable as a nurse doing their job?

The elderley mentally infirm patient needed to have a urine sample taken, a qualfied nurse undertook the procedure assisted by an HCA who gently kept her arms out of the way without gripping of any kind. Unfortunately patient moved suddenly resulting in a small skin flap occuring.Situation now - suspension after 20 years HSA with no previous complaints. Anyone able to advise or anyone else experienced a similar situation or know what I may expect to happen now?

I am a care worker and legally allowed to restrain our service users if necessary, i have undertaken training in special comfort holds though and can only use these.

Your question implies the nurse was restraining the patient and then the paragraph below says the HCA was restraining them?

If someone were in danger of hurting themself that would probably be an acceptable thing to do.

They are allowed to use reasonable force ie in self defence or if the patient is endangering themselves

How do you mean? Restraining your nursing duties, or using restraints to subdue patients?
I believe nurses are obligated to care for patients to the utmost of their ability. The use of physical restraints is necessary for some patients, especially when treating ailments that cause dementia.

Yes. If a nurse is under attack, it's legal for them to restrain a patient. A friend of mine works as a nurse on a psych ward here in California. A big big guy took a swing at him. He ducked and tackled him onto the hospital bed and the other nurses came and helped him by tieing the guy's hands to the rails. My friend is 5'8" and maybe 140 lbs. The guy was over 6' and over 200 lbs and out of his mind.

I'm sure there are other instances when it's safer for the patient to be restrained.

For example, when my dad got an aneurysm he had to get a tube in his stomach. For the first two months he had to have his hands restrained because he would pull it out every time. He ended up having it on for about 6 months then he stopped pulling it out.

Peace
@_*

In a sane world, there would be no suspension. At worst a suspension with pay pending a brief investigation, followed by things going quickly back to normal, would be expected. These days, who knows? There's no sense to a lot of what goes on in medicine any more, and common sense is not common.

it must be apparently i went mad on general anaesthetic and Had to be restrained. I knew nothing about it until i read my medical record. i have no complaints they did what they had to stop me hurting myself. If what they did was wrong i don't think they would have written it down for everyone to see.

PS. i am not normally mad i just had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic

The nurse should have communicated what was going to happen and gained consent to do this. Communication would have encouraged cooperation and the patient would have understood what the nurse was doing. It will have been very traumatic for the patient if no explanation of the procedure was given. Restraint should only be used as a last resort and with the permission of the family of the patient.