A nurse at Nuffield Hospital in Newcastle, Sandra Marie Young, has been suspended from the Nursing and Midwifery Council register for six months due to dishonesty during her shifts. Instead of conducting necessary patient observations, which could have detected critical changes in their condition, she was found watching non-fiction documentaries on her phone.
The panel investigating the incidents found that Miss Young failed to carry out essential observations after a patient collapsed, falsely reported a zero NEWS Score without conducting any observations, and inaccurately documented that the patient had been escalated to the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) when this was not the case.
According to Chronicle Live, the tribunal revealed that Miss Young resigned from her position the day after the October 2022 incident and has not worked as a nurse since. Testimony from a ward manager highlighted that the nurse’s negligence compromised patient safety by not performing vital signs and neurovascular checks, which could have revealed concerning changes in the patient’s health status.
The panel concluded that Miss Young’s actions were dishonest and misleading, as she knowingly misrepresented that she had conducted necessary care tasks. Witnesses also testified that she was seen watching true crime videos on her phone and eating during her shift, instead of attending to patient needs.
Despite acknowledging her wrongdoing and expressing no intention to return to nursing, Miss Young failed to provide a reflective statement addressing the seriousness of her conduct or take steps to rectify her behavior. The panel decision to suspend her was based on her failure to adhere to professional standards and lack of effort to remedy her actions.
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