'Deplorable' nurse gave the wrong patient medication - then tried to cover up her mistake

A nurse has been struck off after giving a care home resident the wrong medicine - then denying it to try and cover her tracks.

Mariettah Munah Miles was working at Parkville care home on Union Street in Middlesbrough when she mixed up a drugs round, as two residents had the same first name.

But she failed to check the patients' full details and gave the wrong person tablets meant for someone else - including the anti-psychotic medications Clozapine and Amisulpride, and the Parkinsons drug Procyclidine.

And it wasn't the first time she had made the mistake.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) fitness to practice hearing was told that Miles had failed to learn the lessons from a six month suspension in 2016, after she had been found to have given another patient the wrong medication, and dishonestly attempted to hide her mistake.

The panel heard the latest case happened on October 23, 2018, when Miles worked her second night shift as an agency nurse at Parkville.

On this occasion, when the resident became unwell, Miles initially denied her mistake to two healthcare assistants at the home which delayed the patient receiving medical treatment.

Only when another registered nurse, who had worked the day shift but was still on site, came to check on the patient and paramedics arrived, did Miles admit an error.

But even then, she only admitted giving the patient Clozapine and declined to mention the other drugs she'd wrongly administered.

Miles admitted seven charges ahead of the hearing, held last week.

They included indicating to a colleague she would start CPR when it was inappropriate to do so, and breaching the duty of candour that nurses must abide by when mistakes are made.

A panel has now decided to strike off Miles, saying other nurses and members of the public would find her dishonesty "deplorable".

In its findings, it said: "The panel was of the view that Ms Miles’ actions constituted serious professional failings which fell significantly below the standards expected of a registered nurse.

"The panel considered that while Ms Miles’ initial failings in charges 1 and 2 were serious in themselves, these were further compounded by her subsequent dishonesty to both colleagues at the home and the paramedics.

"The panel bore in mind that honesty and integrity are the bedrocks of the nursing profession and, when mistakes are made, nurses are expected to abide by the duty of candour and be open and honest.

"The panel considered that the charges found proved represented a complete failure to abide by the duty of candour and breached fundamental tenets of the nursing profession.

"Rather than prioritising the needs of her patient, Ms Miles put her own interests first and acted dishonestly. The panel considered that fellow members of the nursing profession and the public would find such behaviour deplorable."

It concluded: "Given Ms Miles’ lack of remediation, her lack of insight into her dishonesty, and the fact that her dishonesty occurred against a backdrop of a previous suspension for similar concerns, the panel considered that there is a significant risk that Ms Miles would repeat similar errors and behave dishonesty in the future. If she were to do so, patients could be exposed to unwarranted risk of harm."

An interim suspension order - which would bar Ms Miles from working in nursing for 18 month, if she launched an appeal against the striking-off order - was also agreed by the panel.

Teesside Live has attempted to contact the Prestige Group, which runs Parkville, for comment.