A Northumberland mental health nurse has been found by a tribunal to have "recklessly put patients at risk" through a series of medication errors. Violet Iyoki, who worked at Cygnet Hospital in Hexham, has retained her nursing registration but now faces strict conditions after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) investigated five allegations against her.
The tribunal, which sat on several occasions between June 2025 and October 2026, found four of the five charges proven. Ms Iyoki had claimed the allegations resulted from "racial bias" and was represented by Neomi Bennett of the Equality 4 Black Nurses organisation.
Medication errors at Hexham hospital
The proven charges included administering an incorrect dose of chlordiazepoxide to one patient, dispensing five times the correct amount of clozapine to another, attempting to give a third patient medication in the "wrong pot", and dispensing the wrong antibiotic for a fourth patient. These incidents occurred between 12 June 2022 and 10 January 2023.
After the charges were proven, the NMC argued that Ms Iyoki's actions amounted to misconduct. Case presenter Nawazish Choudhury told the tribunal that "although no patients suffered harm from your actions, each of the charges found proved constituted a near miss".
Tribunal finds misconduct proven
In her defence, Ms Bennett argued that "a clinical error, a breach of policy or practise falling below the expected standard of a registered nurse does not automatically amount to misconduct". The tribunal panel, however, found that the proven actions did amount to misconduct, stating that "the proven conduct demonstrated a repeated pattern of careless and unsafe practice in relation to medication dispensing and administration".
The panel concluded that fellow nursing professionals would regard the conduct as deplorable and that Ms Iyoki's actions "fell seriously short of the conduct and standards expected of a nurse and amounted to misconduct".
Conditions imposed on nurse's registration
The panel ruled that Ms Iyoki's fitness to practise was impaired and imposed a 12-month conditions of practice order. The conditions require her to be employed by a single entity for periods of no less than six weeks, not to be the sole nurse on duty or in charge at any time, and to be "directly supervised" by another nurse when carrying out tasks involving medication management.
The panel noted that Ms Iyoki had shown insight into her errors and a willingness to improve, adding that there was "a realistic prospect that these concerns could be resolved with strengthened practice" and that she was willing to further strengthen her practice in the identified areas.
