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Thursday, 2nd September 2010

Nurse struck off after medication errors

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Published Date:
01 February 2008
A NURSE who made a catalogue of errors with patients' medication at Bulwell's Highbury Hospital has been struck off.
Doreen McHale (56) forgot to give essential drugs, including morphine, to elderly women in her charge at the Highbury Road hospital.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel heard that McHale also gave one patient too much paracetamol. The mist
akes happened between 2001 and 2003.

David Glendinning, for the NMC, said: "The allegations relate to the dispensing of medication to elderly and therefore vulnerable patients in a hospital setting.

"They include allowing a care assistant to give medication contrary to policy and relate to record-keeping.

"Poor record-keeping is often a sign of poor practice and it is an essential part of nursing. There is a potential for care and safety of patients to be put at risk."

The panel heard that McHale failed to give one patient her anti-depressants and painkillers for three days.

On January 9 2001, she failed to give three patients their morphine sulphate painkiller but falsified prescription records to say two had taken the drugs.

The cover-up was only discovered when another nurse checked the amount of morphine in the drug cupboard and found the medication was still there.

The panel heard that in January 2002, two patients, referred to here as E and F, were admitted to Highbury.

Patient E had angina and her problems had become more acute since arriving from Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre. However McHale gave patient F an angina spray, which put her at risk.

In September of the same year, McHale ignored a prescription chart and gave a patient extra paracetamol.

McHale was dismissed from her job after a disciplinary hearing in November 2003.

Patrick Kelly, chairman of the panel, said although McHale showed remorse and insight and provided good testimonials of her work, there was not enough evidence she is now safe to handle drugs.

"Some of these errors could have had very serious consequences to the patients in her care," he said.

"We have decided it is necessary to remove her name from the register. These were very serious departures from the standards set out by the code of conduct."

McHale will now be banned from working as a nurse due to her misconduct.



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  • Last Updated: 01 February 2008 10:34 AM
  • Source: Hucknall Dispatch
  • Location: Hucknall
 
 
 


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