A nurse at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton has been struck off after she failed to administer morphine to a patient before surgery and then falsified her records. Amanda-Jane Price, who had worked at the hospital since 2018, admitted to the misconduct following an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
The incident occurred on 31 March 2019, when Price did not give a 6mg dose of morphine to a patient in her care. She later recorded in the patient's chart that the drug had been administered, but a consultant's audit of the morphine count revealed no vial was missing, confirming it had not been given. Price later admitted to being “consciously aware” of her decision to falsify the prescription chart.
As a result of her actions, the patient underwent an invasive procedure without analgesia and subsequently complained of pain. The NMC panel found that Price had been “dishonest” with colleagues and that her ability to practise safely was “impaired”. The panel concluded: “This was deliberate dishonesty which concealed her failure in clinical issues and caused actual patient harm to a vulnerable victim.”
Price was initially suspended, but after failing to respond to the ruling, she has now been struck off the register, meaning she can no longer work as a nurse. The Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said it had taken immediate action when the allegations emerged, removing Price from patient-facing duties while an investigation took place. A spokesperson added: “We are confident that the patients in her care did not come to any harm.”
