Nurse Involved In Tragic Car Death Allowed Back On Register, UK

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 11 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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A nurse who was involved in a serious car accident which lead to the death of several children has been reinstated to the nursing register following a hearing at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on Monday 08 September 2008.

Angela Dublin was suspended from working as a nurse for a year in September 2007 based on the evidence of her criminal conviction in relation to the accident. The suspension was due to come to an end next month and an independent panel of the NMC's Conduct and Competence Committee reviewed the Order as required in the NMC (Fitness to Practice) Rules 2004.

The panel reviewed the evidence of Ms Dublin's conduct since the Suspension Order was given and deemed that in the balance of public interest and confidence and in fairness to the individual a Caution Order for the maximum 5-year period was the appropriate sanction in addition to reinstating her to the register.

The panel considered that although Ms Dublin's actions caused direct and terrible harm to many people that day, she has demonstrated consistent and continuing remorse, insight and regret. She has only ever demonstrated concern for her victims and never for herself and her actions were an isolated incident which was not deliberate in the sense of it being an unexpected road traffic accident. She had a previous good history, with an excellent work record with high levels of care, attention and professionalism as a registered nurse over a 27 year career.

Commenting on the panel's decision, NMC spokesperson Leila Harris-Ryberg said:

"Ms Dublin's actions, although very serious and with tragic results were not a reflection of her competence as a nurse. The criminal aspect of her case was dealt with through the courts, for which she received and served a prison sentence. As with all cases involving a conviction, the NMC considers whether or not the conviction affects the individual's abilities as a practitioner. In this case, the panel accepted the evidence before it which showed the rehabilitative steps she is continuing to take and acknowledged that at no point was her competency as a registered nurse ever doubted."

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