Elizabeth Dudley-Jones defended a lead hypertension practice nurse of 35 years on serious charges before the Nursing and Midwifery Council

Elizabeth Dudley-Jones defended a lead hypertension practice nurse of 35 years on serious charges before the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Accused of deliberately and dishonestly recording incorrect blood pressures of approximately 5,000 patients over 5 years and various other misconduct charges relating to 6 other patients.

Following a successful submission of no case to answer in respect of two patients at half time, the Panel considered and granted an application to adjourn for a defence expert to consider disclosure made of medical records made by the NMC mid hearing on a defence application for disclosure for them before the Panel. Following the service of those records, a defence expert reported and the NMC’s expert agreed that after analysis of the blood pressure data relating to all the nurses and a doctor at the practice, the expert findings indicated that the registrant was not dishonest. A further application was made by Miss Dudley-Jones at half time (almost three years since the first closure of the NMC’s case) and the Panel agreed, dismissing the charge of dishonesty.

The registrant then admitted the balance of the charges and Miss Dudley-Jones made a submission only in respect of misconduct (not impairment) and the Tribunal agreed and determined that none of the charges that remained amounted to serious misconduct. The case concluded with the registrant being totally exonerated by the Panel.

Instructed by Lavinia Houghton and Rachael Wake of the Royal College of Nursing, Bolton and Leeds.

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