County Durham nurse Belinda Jayne Kay, who was employed by Hallam Medical Recruitment Agency and worked at Jubilee Medical Group – which has surgeries in Newton Aycliffe and Shildon – also falsified medical records.
A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) panel last month concluded Ms Kay’s conduct put patients at “serious risk of harm” and also caused “emotional harm”.
The misconduct panel heard how on December 19, 2021, during a consultation with a patient, the nurse said “there’s nothing wrong with it, stop being a f***y”, or words to that effect.
The patient gave evidence at the hearing, with the panel finding her “clear, consistent and compelling”.
During her evidence, the patient reiterated on multiple occasions the nurse used those words, saying it was memorable as “it’s not every day someone calls you a f***y”.
Ms Kay denied using the phrase, but admitted using inappropriate language on another occasion.
The panel also heard how in August 2022, the nurse said: “I am sick of the backstabbing b******s in this place”, or words to that effect.
Libby Anderson, representing Ms Kay, said that while the language was unprofessional, it was “directed at nobody in the workplace and had nothing to do with colleagues”.
She added: “It was an expression of frustration about your private life, uttered only after colleagues asked what was wrong when they noticed you were upset.”
Ms Kay admitted the allegation.
The NMC panel also heard that on or around September 2022, the nurse recorded in a child’s consultation information sheet she had conducted the following observations: temperature check, respiratory rate, oxygen levels and heart rate.
Her actions were proved to be “dishonest” as the nurse knew she had not conducted the observations.
The panel heard evidence from a child’s mother, which was relayed by Lorraine Stainsby, an advanced nurse practitioner and clinical lead at the group.
Ms Stainsby stated: “I spoke to the child’s mother who informed me that when they came in for an assessment, Belinda did not conduct any observations on the child.
“The mother reported that the child still had a cough and now has an inhaler.
“Observations were recorded in the consultation notes for the child, but the mother told me that Belinda had not done any observations.”
Ms Kay claimed the mother “may have been distracted on her phone during the assessment and therefore might not have noticed the observations being carried out”, but the panel rejected the explanation entirely.
The panel added: “Observations such as temperature checks, oxygen saturation, and pulse measurement require visible, hands‑on interaction, ear thermometers, finger or toe pulse oximetry clips, and timing respiratory rate while observing the child. Such actions cannot plausibly occur unnoticed.”
Having found the observations had not been performed, the panel concluded people would regard falsifying documents as dishonest.
They said: “Falsifying observations in a paediatric consultation misleads future clinicians, creates a falsely reassuring clinical picture, undermines safeguarding and presents a direct risk to patient safety.
“This was not a case of poor documentation, error, or misunderstanding. It was the deliberate recording of clinical findings that you knew to be untrue.”
The nurse was struck off from the medical register and no longer works at Jubilee Medical Group.
A Jubilee Medical Group spokesperson said: “We expect the highest standards from our staff and took immediate action when these concerns came to light more than four years ago.
“The nurse involved was not a Jubilee Medical Group employee and has not worked for the practice since the issues were raised.
“Our team is focused on providing high quality care for our patients and community.”
Hallam Medical Recruitment Agency has been contacted but did not respond in time for publication.