October 04, 2022

Somerset Nurse Struck Off For Failing To Give Morphine

The Somerset nurse was struck off after she failed to give morphine to a patient before they underwent surgery. Amanda-Jane Price had been suspended from front-line duties since the incident which happened in March 2019.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council in their ruling said that Miss Price had been "dishonest" with her colleagues and her ability to practice medicine safely was "impaired". She had been a nurse at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton since 2018.

The incident which led to her suspension and subsequent striking off occurred on 31 March 2019 when Miss Price failed to administer morphine to a patient in her care, and falsely recorded in her notes that morphine had been given.

The hospital’s emergency medicine consultant conducted an investigation which discovered that a morphine dose of 6mg had been noted on the patient's chart, but that the drug had not actually been administered.

The witness told the hearing: "I checked the count of the morphine again and it was accurate. There was no vial missing that would have suggested she had given it."

Subsequently, Miss Price admitted that she falsified the prescription chart and was consciously aware of her decision.

'Deliberate dishonesty'

The consequence of Miss Price’s actions was that the patient underwent an invasive procedure without receiving analgesia and complained of pain subsequently. The panel after investigations ruled that Miss Price was guilty of misconduct and would initially be suspended

"This was deliberate dishonesty which concealed her failure in clinical issues and caused actual patient harm to a vulnerable victim," the panel concluded.

Miss Price has now been struck off after she failed to respond to the ruling which means she can no longer practice as a nurse.

The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Musgrove Park Hospital said it took measures to ensure no other patients were harmed when the allegations came to light.

A spokesperson said: "As soon as we became aware of the incident, Miss Price was taken off patient-facing clinical duties while a detailed investigation took place. We are confident that the patients in her care did not come to any harm."

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