Nurse Who Took Resident's Money Continues To Practise

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 28 Aug 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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A nurse who took money from a nursing home resident was allowed to stay on the professional register following a hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

An independent panel of the NMC's Conduct and Competence Committee heard that Alyson Settle, a 51 year old mental health nurse from Bradford, West Yorkshire, took £100 from a resident of the Ashcroft Nursing Home in Bradford in November 2004, at his request to spend on a DVD/TV, which she did not do. She did not repay the money until after she had left her employment and her manager had contacted her about it.

The panel heard evidence that during the three and a half years since the proven incident, Settle had progressed in continuous employment at The Knoll Nursing Home in Bradford and had taken remedial steps to heighten her awareness and knowledge of professional conduct between practitioner and patients, including adult protection training.

Commenting on the panel's decision, NMC spokesperson Lesley Conway said:

"Settle should not to have taken the money at all. This is in breach of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and at the time, her fitness to practice was impaired, but the panel had to consider whether her fitness to practice remains impaired today.

"The panel was satisfied that Settle had demonstrated insight into her previous failing and therefore the public can be reassured that the appropriate remedial action has been taken."

The Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UK regulator for two professions, nursing and midwifery. To be eligible to work as a nurse or midwife in the UK, they must be registered with the NMC. There are currently more than 674,000 nurses and midwives on the register. The primary purpose of the NMC is to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. It does this through maintaining a register of all nurses and midwives to practise within the UK and by setting standards for their education, training and conduct.

Nursing & Midwifery Council