Nurse malpractice has led to a life ban on Nursing Register

When you seek medical treatment, many people fall into the sometimes false sense of security that they’re in ‘safe hands’. This is especially the case for one nurse, who has been banned from practising following multiple blunders.

A former nurse, Jonathan Thompson, has been told that he will never practise again after he mixed up patients and failed to adhere to NHS policies, resulting in serious complications and problems for the victims of this medical negligence.

During Mr Thompson’s stint at the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust between December 2008 and August 2013, his work on wards when patients were about to undergo surgery had only been monitored for approximately 5 months in 2013, but he was never assessed in relation to working without supervision.

Mr Thompson reportedly failed to carry out vital checks before some patients went for surgery. He also allegedly made mistakes when he was doing the rounds for hospital drugs.

In March 2013, he reportedly failed to identify that the patient needed a test prior to their operation. He was tasked with managing a patient with diabetes before surgery, but mistook the patient for another. This grave error led to the failure of recording the blood sugar levels of the diabetic patient. What was even more disastrous is the fact that he failed to inform the operating surgeon that the patient was diabetic, and when he realised his error, he still kept quiet; ignoring protocols.

NMC’s ban

Following an assessment of the lack of care that Mr Thompson provided, he was originally suspended from practicing for 15 months, but after careful consideration of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), they’ve decided to bar him from the nursing register, which came effect on the 27^th February 2017. The NMC’s decision, when it comes to striking-off nurses, is only taken when their continued practice would pose a potential risk to patients.

There were proven allegations made against Mr Thompson. After collating all the evidence, he was suspended from practising in October 2013. The NMC came to the finding that his “fitness to practice was impaired by reason of lack of competence”. The ruling detailed that he didn’t attempt to remediate the deficiencies.

Importance of patient safety

In 2016 NMC’s CEO, Jackie Smith, highlighted the importance of patient safety by responding to the Health Secretary’s announcement of its plans to improve patient safety and transparency in the NHS. She states that:

“…as the professional regulator of more than 685,000 nurses and midwives, it’s vital that we continue to fully address the actions of individuals who fail to uphold the highest standards of patient safety.”

The Chairman of the Conduct and Competence Committee (CCC), Paul Hopley, reiterated the risk that Mr Thompson posed and the importance of keeping their patients safe. He stated:

“…the panel was mindful of the need to protect the public maintain public confidence in the profession and to declare and uphold proper standards of conduct and performance.”

By dismissing Mr Thompson, the NMC and CCC have addressed the risk that he posed. It’s also important for the NHS Trust to uphold the perception that they’re maintaining professionalism in their conduct.

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Professional negligence can encompass a wide range of things; including a delay in diagnosis, misdiagnosis, and failing to refer a patient on for specialist treatment. If you believe you have been a victim of clinical negligence, our specialist team can assist you to claim.