AN NHS Fife nurse who turned up for work “spaced out” and smelling of alcohol has been struck off and given an 18-month interim suspension order.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s conduct and competence committee found Susan Dryburgh had worked while unfit to do so at the Rowan Walk Respite Unit in Cowdenbeath on 21st November 2010.

Mrs Dryburgh, a registered nurse employed by the health board, had been due to shadow a colleague on a 2-6pm shift but finished at 2.15pm when she received a phone call about an urgent family matter.

However, witnesses said that during this time, Mrs Dryburgh’s speech was slurred, her movement disjointed and she showed a lack of co-ordination – at one point she had to hold on to a client’s chair to steady herself while the client was in the chair.

As her role involved physical care, there were concerns she would not have been able to deal safely with vulnerable clients.

She was also said to appear “spaced out” and had interrupted an earlier discussion with inappropriate comments.

In another incident, on 11th June 2012, while employed as a registered nurse at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Mrs Dryburgh reported for duty smelling of alcohol.

An endoscopy technician said Mrs Dryburgh attended work around 8pm and appeared to be “shaky, aggressive and jumpy”.

Mrs Dryburgh also accused the technician of bullying her.

She was suspended immediately following a meeting with the senior charge nurse, an HR officer and a Unison representative, when all three smelled alcohol in the office.

Furthermore, Mrs Dryburgh had appeared before Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on 17th February 2011, convicted of driving a motor vehicle after consuming excess alcohol. She was fined £500 and banned from driving for 21 months.

Between 17th February and 18th April 2011, she did not inform NHS Fife that she had been convicted of a criminal offence and her conduct was dishonest in that she knew she should disclose that information to them.

In relation to the incidents at Rowan Walk, the NMC panel concluded Mrs Dryburgh had worked while unfit to do so.

Their report said, “By attending work whilst unfit to do so Mrs Dryburgh compromised the trust placed in her by her colleagues and clients.

“She did not uphold the reputation of the profession and would not have been able to provide a high standard of care.” The panel also determined that her conduct at the Vic was “a serious departure from the standards expected of a registered nurse” and amounted to misconduct.

In light of the drink-driving conviction, the panel found her fitness to practise was impaired by her misconduct.

The report concluded, “The panel was particularly concerned by the risk to patients, the public and colleagues of a registered nurse who attends work whilst unfit.

“In addition it took into account the public perception of a registered nurse who is not immediately open and honest with their employer regarding a conviction and subsequent to demotion and redeployment attends work smelling of alcohol.

“The panel concluded that in these circumstances striking-off is the only sanction which is sufficient to protect the public interest and that public confidence in the profession and the NMC will only be sustained if Mrs Dryburgh is removed from the register.”