An untrained and unqualified Liverpool nurse who carried out examinations and diagnoses on patients - including breast and vaginal checks - has been struck off.
Deborah Cooper was employed at Islington House Surgery in Kensington when she "put her patients at direct risk," a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing was told.
Over a six month period, she conducted a series of reviews despite not having the required authorisation to do so.
It started in February 2018, when colleagues grew concerned Miss Cooper was recording she had seen mental health sufferers when she had not.
Partners of the Everton Road practice believed the nurse was falsifying records to show that targets had been met.
Three months later, doctors again were alarmed after learning Miss Cooper had recorded she had listened to a patient's chest, stating it was clear when the opposite was true.
The London hearing, which finished last week, heard how the nurse examined a woman complaining of intermittent thrush for three months, but that check were "not part of her remit."
On another occasion, Miss Cooper referred a patient with abnormal vaginal bleeding to gynaecology, again against her qualifications.
And after an unauthorised examinations of a "boney" area between a patient's breasts, it was concluded she was not allowed to perform that sensitive check.
A Fitness to Practice hearing concluded Miss Cooper was guilty of serious misconduct which had placed patients at "direct risk."
In the Nursing and Midwifery Council report, lawyer Katie Mustard submitted "that Miss Cooper acting outside the scope of her practice as she did is sufficiently serious so as to attract a finding of misconduct, given the inherent risks to patients.
"She submitted that record keeping is a fundamental, basic requirement of a registered nurse."
She added the "dishonesty in this case is particularly serious as it involved amending patient records which will always carry with it some risk to patients.
"Therefore this conduct, which is unacceptable, should be marked with a finding of misconduct."
Miss Cooper "did not seem fully to understand the risk and potential consequences of acting outside the scope of her practice," the watchdog hearing was told.
Examples were found of her "altering records, undertaking various types of assessments and giving various types of diagnosis which fell outside her remit."
The panel, led by Kathryn Eastwood, the chairwoman, added: "In the panel’s judgement, the risk of repetition is significant.
"This is due to Miss Cooper’s limited insight, the absence of cogent evidence of remediation and the fact the dishonesty continued for a period of up to six months.
"The panel therefore determined that a finding of impairment is necessary on public protection grounds."
Miss Cooper, who did not attend her hearing, emailed the panel in November, telling them: "I am writing to inform you that I will not be attending my hearing on 9th December and I will not be engaging with the hearing.
"I understand that the hearing will still go ahead and I will abide by their decision.
"I have become disillusioned with the nursing profession and will no longer be working as a registered nurse from the end of November 2019.”
The ECHO contacted Islington House Surgery but were told nobody was available for comment.
