Nurse posed '˜significant risk to public' after KGH incident

A nurse who gave a patient at KGH prescriptions without the relevant qualifications has been struck off.
Hospital GV: Kettering:  KGH Kettering General Hospital
Saturday December 23 2017 NNL-171223-181254009Hospital GV: Kettering:  KGH Kettering General Hospital
Saturday December 23 2017 NNL-171223-181254009
Hospital GV: Kettering: KGH Kettering General Hospital Saturday December 23 2017 NNL-171223-181254009

Andrew Richardson has had his name taken off the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register after a hearing in London.

A previous hearing heard how Mr Richardson, an acute oncology nurse, was working at the hospital when it was on ‘black alert’ in 2015.

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Concerns were raised about Mr Richardson not having followed the correct procedures.

A colleague reviewed the notes of one of his patients, which showed that Mr Richardson had prescribed and administered tazcoin and paracetamol.

Mr Richardson explained to his colleague that he was a nurse prescriber and was permitted to prescribe the medication.

The colleague checked the NMC’s register and noted that it did not appear on the register that Mr Richardson had a nurse prescriber qualification, nor did this qualification come up following a search of the hospital’s own records.

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When questioned he said that he was qualified but had taken an ‘old style’ course and there had been issues moving his qualification over.

He also said he had ‘not got around’ to filling in paperwork to do so.

Mr Richardson also failed to complete a medical review of the patient, recorded that he had told a doctor of the patient’s condition when he hadn’t and didn’t escalate continued low blood pressure.

Mr Richardson, who admitted all allegations, was dismissed from his role at the trust and orginally suspended from being a nurse.

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But he’s now been struck off by the NMC after it was found he poses a ‘significant risk’ to the public.

A panel hearing said: “Mr Richardson has not addressed the deficiencies in his practice to date despite being given a number of opportunities to do so.

“It would not be in the public interest to prolong the case with a further suspension order, nor would such action maintain confidence in the profession or the regulator.

“Mr Richardson continues to pose a significant risk to the public were he to return to unrestricted nursing practice.

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“In considering all the circumstances, the panel determined that Mr Richardson’s behaviour can be described as fundamentally incompatible with being a registered nurse.”

Kettering General Hospital’s deputy director of human resources, Sue Newing, said: “Andrew Richardson was employed at Kettering General Hospital from 2007 until he was dismissed in 2015.

“In 2015 the trust took appropriate and immediate actions to investigate this case and passed on our findings to the Nursing and Midwifery Council which have found the allegations against Mr Richardson proven.”

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