Stroke nurse suspended for failings and dishonesty

The charge relates to the nurse's time with NHS Ayrshire & Arran

- PAUL BEHAN

Suspension The nurse was reprimanded by the regulator. Stock image

An East Ayrshire-based nurse has been suspended for six months and handed an 18-month interim suspension for care 'failings' and 'dishonesty'.

Alison Linda Kerr faced six separate charges relating to her time working for NHS Ayrshire & Arran.

One charge related to an incident in a high dependency stroke ward dating back to September 11, 2020, when Kerr said she recorded details of purported NEWS (National Early Warning Score) observations.

This, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), “did not take place” over three separate time frames.

The NEWS system standardises the recording of a patient’s physiological parameters, like respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure. It also provides objective evidence of a patient's clinical condition.

An associated charge related to a similar incident with another patient, on the same shift, this time over two separate time frames.

Another charge related to dishonesty, claiming Kerr knew that she had not undertaken the NEWS observations for both patients.

Kerr was also accused of telling a colleague she 'had carried out' the purported observations when this “was not the case.”