Dunfermline nurse struck off for putting vulnerable patients 'at a serious risk of harm'

A Nursing and Midwifery Council panel said Carol Ann Davidson had “failed in her fundamental duties” of providing care to 11 families.

It said, “The panel determined that it was necessary to take action to prevent Mrs Davidson from practising in the future and concluded that the only sanction that would adequately protect the public and serve the public interest was a striking-off order.” Her failure to visit families, as she was required to do by her job, led to a mother suffering from post-natal depression and a child from another family being taken to A&E.

She did not visit other families, despite one mum having a history of drug abuse and a child from a different family having a rare condition that can lead to life-threatening heart problems.

Mrs Davidson was a registered nurse, midwife and health visitor with more than 20 years’ experience and was latterly a public health nurse employed by the Dunfermline and West Fife Community Health Partnership.

The NMC panel said “her failings put patients at serious risk of harm and continued for a protracted period of time”.

And it added, “The panel was of the view that considerable evidence would be required to show that Mrs Davidson no longer posed a risk to the public.” She had previously received a 12-month suspension order, which was due to expire next month, but a mandatory review hearing last week in Edinburgh decided her fitness to practise was still impaired.

Mrs Davidson did not attend the hearing, which determined she can no longer work in the profession, and was not represented at it. The first hearing determined that she had visited one of the families but did not complete adequate records and “this was significant because the family was subject to child protection measures”.

She had made a record of a visit in February 2005 but no further records were made until December 2008 which was “wholly unacceptable”.

The council decided that the other charges, of failing to visit 10 families, were proven which resulted in families “having no contact, monitoring or support from relevant health professionals over significant periods of time”.

Mrs Davidson neglected to visit a family with three children under the age of four whose mother had a history of drug abuse and did not attend at another where the child had Williams Syndrome, visual impairment and developmental delay.

Her failure to visit another two families led to the children’s inoculations being missed.

In many of the cases, she had previously stated she had “no recollection of the family in her caseload” and that her failure to visit three of the families was that “the notes must have been in transit from the family’s previous area”.

The panel said that Mrs Davidson had not engaged with the NMC proceedings, continued to deny the charges, had not shown any remorse for her misconduct and “nor has she apologised for her past failings”. She can appeal the decision within 28 days.