A Bristol nurse has been suspended for falsifying the medical records of dozens of patients putting many of them at “unwarranted risk of harm."
Debra Frances O’Grady was disciplined over changes she made to the medical records of more than 60 patients while she was a senior nurse at Avonmouth Medical Centre.
Her case was heard at a misconduct hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council last month.
A disciplinary panel found Mrs O’Grady had recorded that 62 medical check-ups or procedures had taken place even though she knew they had not happened or could not be sure that they had.
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Some 22 diabetic foot examinations, 20 flu vaccinations, eight asthma reviews and six chronic obstructive airways disease reviews were among the medical interventions that either did not take place or may have not taken place.
“Your misconduct involved recklessly creating or amending patient records over a period of 15 months,” the panel told her in its ruling. “Your actions placed many patients at an unwarranted risk of harm.”
Mrs O’Grady admitted to making many of the changes between March 2013 to June 2014 indicating that she or a colleague had performed the check-ups or procedures, sometimes months previously.
NHS England relies on the information to analyse the performance of the practice and decide on the performance payments it receives.
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The panel considered that Mrs O’Grady’s offending was all the more serious because she held a senior role with “significant responsibility” and had not shown “sufficient insight” into her misconduct.
“The panel also considered that the misconduct in this case is underpinned by your recklessness and a lack of integrity,” they said.
However, they took into account her partial admission to the charges and certain personal and work factors at the time of the misconduct.
The panel found Mrs O’Grady’s fitness to practise was impaired and suspended her for 12 months.
“The panel considered that to permanently deprive the public of an otherwise competent nurse would not be in the public interest,” the ruling stated.
Mrs O'Grady has 28 days to appeal the decision which was made following the misconduct hearing ending on February 22.
Avonmouth Medical Centre was judged ‘outstanding’ by the health watchdog in July 2017. It has since has been taken over by Pioneer Medical Group.
