A nurse has been cleared to return to work in the NHS despite admitting several counts of misconduct in administering drugs to patients.
John McQuillan, from Dundee, who was employed by NHS Tayside as a charge nurse working at the city’s Ninewells Hospital, has been placed on an interim conditions of practice order for 18 months.
The actual sanction imposed by a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel has been set at six months after his fitness to practice was ruled “impaired”, however the 18-month interim order has also been put in place in case Mr McQuillan appeals the decision.
The NMC panel has now cleared him to return to work as a nurse, providing he adheres to a string of conditions.
Following internal investigations, Mr McQuillan was dismissed by NHS Tayside on October 4 2012.
Mr McQuillan, who was present and represented himself at the hearing in Edinburgh, admitted all six charges against him and also admitted his fitness to practice had been impaired.
However, he maintained his intention to return to work as a nurse and his willingness to adhere to the conditions of any return to work, which state that he must be supervised at all times, along with a number of other conditions.
The charges were that on various dates between September 13 2011 and June 18 2012, he failed to record the administration of drugs to patients and made a retrospective entry on the Tayside Prescription Administration Record, despite being told not to by a colleague.
He also admitted sending a vulnerable patient, who had communication difficulties and was unable to summon help, to the cardiology department without an escort.
The panel concluded that his acts were sufficiently serious as to amount to misconduct, however the members were satisfied that his conduct is remediable as he had undertaken reading, related to medicine administration and self-management, to improve his practice, knowledge and skills.
However, he has not yet undertaken retraining or worked under any supervision in order to rebuild his confidence and as such the panel was satisfied that there is still a risk of repetition as no practical remediation has yet been undertaken.
He stated to the panel that in terms of his role as a professional nurse, he would not consider applying for any role higher than a band five staff nurse for the first 18 months from the beginning of any nursing role.
The panel noted that he had demonstrated significant remorse and insight and had also pointed out the surrounding circumstances in which he was working, his ongoing health issues, his unblemished career, his full engagement with NMC proceedings and his commitment to returning to nursing.