Nurse Struck Off For Denying Burns Patient Pain Relief, UK

Main Category: Medical Malpractice / Litigation
Also Included In: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 21 Jan 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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A 65 year old registered adult nurse from Chelmsford, Essex has been struck off the register for failing to administer a prescribed controlled drug.

Comfort Ominiyi Jegede was a D Grade Staff Nurse on the Burns Rehabilitation Unit at Broomfield Hospital, Essex when in March 2005 she failed to administer MST, a morphine sulphate when scheduled to do so.

An independent panel of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Conduct and Competence Committee heard evidence that Ms Jegede also signed the controlled drug register and the patient's prescription chart to record that the medication had been administered when it had not. Further evidence was presented to the panel that proved she kept the drug in her pocket instead of returning it to the controlled drug cupboard, implied that a colleague should dispose of it and attempted to have that colleague sign the controlled drug register and the patient's prescription chart in relation to the administration of the drug.

Commenting on the outcome of the hearing, NMC spokesperson Leila Harris said,

"The independent panel reached this conclusion having heard evidence which proved each of the charges brought before it. Her actions and failures breached several discrete and important aspects of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. Her conduct was unworthy of a registered nurse and the panel has a duty to act in the public's interest and to preserve the public's confidence in the profession. For this reason, they decided that it was in the public's best interest to strike Ms Jegede off the register."

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the UK regulator for two professions, nursing and midwifery. The primary purpose of the NMC is protection of the public. It does this through maintaining a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses eligible to practise within the UK and by setting standards for their education, training and conduct. Currently the number of registrants exceeds 682,000. The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (The Order), sets out the NMC's role and responsibilities.

The independent panel is selected from a pool of individuals appointed by the Appointments Board. They come from a variety of backgrounds and are not NMC Council members, nor do they sit on any committee of the Council.

Nursing and Midwifery Council