A nurse who told investigators she “could have killed 25 people” after being caught drinking at a north-east care home has been suspended.
Christina Taylor was found asleep at the reception desk during a night shift at Maryfield West Care Home in Aberdeen.
Colleagues also discovered she had not given any medication to residents of the home, which cares for people with dementia, but that the drugs trolley had been left wide open.
When she finally woke up, Taylor – who has 28 years of nursing experience – admitted to taking codeine while on duty.
An empty 70cl bottle of vodka was also found in her bag.
She was the only nurse on duty at the home when the incident happened on October 8, 2014 and was responsible for 25 residents.
Taylor later admitted at an internal investigation that she had been drinking, and was sacked for gross misconduct.
When her misconduct case went before the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the panel heard she was “deeply ashamed” of her actions on October 8, 2014.
The panel agreed her failings could have resulting in “significant harm to several vulnerable patients”.
But they decided not to strike her off, instead suspending her for 12 months.
Chairman Timothy Cole said: “In the investigatory meeting minutes of October 14 2014, Mrs Taylor was asked if she understood the consequences of her actions.
‘She replied: ‘I could have killed 25 people’.
“The panel considered that it was unacceptable for a registered nurse to consume alcohol while on shift.
“The panel also considered that, by not recording whether or not she had administered medication to the residents, she could have provided an additional dose of medication to these residents, which could also have caused serious harm.”
Mr Cole said that Taylor was experiencing health problems at the time which played a role in her misconduct.
The panel decided a suspension would allow her to reconsider whether she wanted to return to nursing in the future, if her personal or health circumstances changed.
