Sandra Marie Young, a registered nurse with 40 years of experience, has been struck off the nursing register after she watched true-crime videos on her mobile phone during a shift and failed to perform medical checks on a patient who had collapsed. The incident occurred while she was employed by Nuffield Health at the Nuffield Hospital in Newcastle.
Details of Misconduct
A report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) detailed several failures by Young between October 12 and October 13, 2022. She did not take observations from a patient after they collapsed, documented a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) of 0 without taking any observations, and recorded that the patient had been escalated to the Resident Medical Officer (RMO) when she had not done so.
A previous NMC report, which led to her suspension, noted that carrying out observations would have highlighted "alarming changes" in the patient's condition. The report also revealed that Young was watching true-crime videos on her phone while on duty.
Witness Account
A witness described Young's behaviour on the night in question, stating: "She wasn't on her break but was sitting and eating a Rustlers burger with a packet of crisps while watching true crime videos on her mobile phone."
Disciplinary Outcome
Young's actions were found to be dishonest, and she initially had her professional registration suspended for six months. However, on July 7, she was struck off the register after a panel concluded that her fitness to practise was impaired and that a striking-off order was the only appropriate and proportionate sanction.
The panel acknowledged that Young accepted her misconduct and apologised, but noted there was no evidence of reflection demonstrating an understanding of the impact of her misconduct on patients and the public.
Resignation and Future Intentions
Young resigned from her position a day after the incident. In an email to the NMC on January 23, she stated: "I appreciate your letter and your kind regards, as I have already said I have no intention of returning to nursing. I accepted my fitness to practice was impaired and that through my actions I brought a profession I loved into question." She added that she would be retiring at the end of her suspension period.
Despite her stated intentions, the panel said there was no supporting evidence or application for voluntary removal, and they could not be satisfied she would not return to nursing in the future. The striking-off order will take effect at the end of her current suspension, which ends on August 12.
