A hard-pushed Fife duty charge nurse who “panicked” and tried to cover up an error has been cleared to continue practising by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
Shyvonne Mason admitted incorrectly administering a patient with phenobarbitone instead of morphine sulphate at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital on October 25 2014, before incorrectly filling out drugs records in a bid to hide what she had done.
However, an NMC panel has ruled that Ms Mason’s fitness to practise has not been impaired despite what was described as a “serious departure of the standards expected of a registered nurse”.
Evidence presented to the panel showed that Ms Mason was a “good and caring nurse” who had been experiencing some health issues at the time of the incident.
Ms Mason “panicked” after learning of her mistake, the panel heard, resulting in her “impulsively” amending records and destroying two vials of morphine sulphate.
The panel also heard how Ms Mason was responsible for the whole hospital site, which included 40 wards and more than 300 staff.
Many wards were short-staffed and the hospital had exceeded full capacity, while Ms Mason had also been constantly interrupted when administering the drugs.
The panel concluded that, in light of Ms Mason’s full cooperation and “multiple positive testimonials”, a finding of impairment was not necessary.
“Indeed, the panel finds that the public interest is best served by returning a capable, competent and caring nurse to unrestricted practise,” the NMC concluded.