Nurse to be struck off register after ‘catalogue of failures’

A Tayside nurse with a “deepseated attitudinal problem” is to be struck off for a catalogue of drug management failures.

Iain Thomson did not record methadone prescriptions for patients who missed several appointments and upped the dosage for others without informing their GPs.

NHS Tayside began an investigation in 2016 after discovering he had not kept records for a patient who died in circumstances which were thought to be drug-related.

The woman had missed four appointments and should have had her methadone prescription suspended in an effort to encourage her to attend.

Substance abuse worker Mr Thomson also copied and pasted appointment notes, failed to log missed and cancelled appointments, and did not act when another patient attended the pharmacy smelling strongly of cannabis.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel took the decision to suspend his registration for six months in April after Mr Thomson failed to appear at his hearing.

He was not present or represented at the review hearing in Edinburgh and previously told the NMC he had no intention of working as a nurse again.

The panel determined to proceed in Mr Thomson’s absence following legal advice and was of the view there was a high risk of repetition.

The panel noted his last communication with the NMC was in August 2017 when he stated that he had no intention of returning to work as a registered nurse.

Mr Thomson will be struck off the nursing register on November 8.