Nurse sanction decision tomorrow

A Shropshire nurse will find out tomorrow what sanction she faces after a panel found she committed two counts of serious misconduct.

Julie Elizabeth Burton admitted that she failed to carry out frequent observations on “Patient A” while she was recuperating from a hospital stay at the Mount House and Severn View care home in Shrewsbury in May 2018.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practice panel also found five charges against her proven, and decided one of these – failing to declare to the regulator that she was facing disciplinary action from employer Barchester Healthcare while already under a six-month conditions of practice order – amounted to serious misconduct.

She told the hearing – which could take no action, impose conditions, suspend her or strike her off the nursing register – she was “sorry for everything that has happened”, and promised to comply with its decision.

Ms Burton, who hasn’t worked as a nurse since 2018, said she believed her fitness to practice was impaired, and said she was receiving help with this.

“I would like, at some stage, to return to nursing when I’m feeling much better,” she said.

“I will go along with whatever decision you feel appropriate.

“I just want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak and I’m sorry for everything that has happened.”

Panel chairman Suzy Ashworth said: “Nurses occupy a position of privilege and trust in society and are expected, at all times, to be professional.

“Patients and their families must be able to trust them with their lives, and the lives of their loved ones.”

She said Ms Burton’s failure to carry out the necessary checks on Patient A put her at “unwarranted risk of harm”.

“In the panel’s judgment, the public do not expect nurses to act as you did, as they require nurses to at all times adhere to professional standards and act to safeguard the health and wellbeing of patients,” she said.

Earlier in the week-long remote hearing panel members heard that, in January 2018, a previous NMC panel imposed an order on Ms Burton requiring her to inform the regulator if she faced disciplinary action at work. Ms Ashworth noted that Ms Burton appeared before a reviewing panel in July and received a 12-month extension but remained free to practice, despite the complaint by Patient A’s family just over a month before.

“In reaching its conclusion that conditions of practice remained sufficient for the protection of the public, the reviewing panel was unaware that you had already breached the conditions you were working under,” Ms Ashworth said.

“It may be that, had the panel known the true situation, it might have considered it necessary to impose a more proscriptive sanction.”

Other charges – that Ms Burton attempted to take a blood pressure reading from Patient A while her arm or the shoulder above it were broken, did not call 999 after taking concerning blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and temperature readings and did not send her back to hospital after recording low fluid intake – were also found proved, but ruled not to be serious misconduct.

The hearing heard there was no evidence Ms Burton knew Patient A’s arm was injured.

“The panel bore in mind that Patient A’s bed was against a wall,” Ms Ashworth said.

“As a result, you attempted to take a blood pressure reading from the arm that was easier to access.

“Once you were told by the family that particular arm was damaged you apologised, and took a reading from the other arm.

“The panel were satisfied your action was an honest mistake.”