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Agency nurse who repeatedly falsified patients’ records is struck off

Joanne Louise Gaskarth-Parkhouse lied to cover the fact she had failed to administer drugs, and invented blood glucose readings for patients
Royal Blackburn Hospital, where agency nurse falsified patients’ records

Joanne Louise Gaskarth-Parkhouse lied to cover the fact she had failed to administer drugs, and invented blood glucose readings for patients

Royal Blackburn Hospital, where agency nurse falsified patients’ records
The Royal Blackburn Hospital Picture: Bill_Boaden/Creative Commons

An agency nurse who falsified patients’ record after repeatedly failing to administer medications has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Joanne Louise Gaskarth-Parkhouse lied about giving patients drugs including intravenous antibiotics and statins during a night shift at the Royal Blackburn Hospital in June 2019, an NMC Fitness to Practise (FtP) panel found.

She added the false dosages to the patients’ records retrospectively, so it appeared they had been given flucloxacillin and atorvastatin when they had not. She invented blood glucose readings for three patients.

Staff nurses at Royal Blackburn Hospital raised the alarm

An investigation began after staff nurses raised concerns about Ms Gaskarth-Parkhouse’s work following a cardiology ward night shift at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust hospital on 24 June 2019. She had come to the hospital through the agency HCR.

One witness told the NMC panel: ‘It was clear the registrant had not taken the three patients’ blood glucose using the machine, as no records of these readings were found in the readings and therefore, the recordings in their charts were not accurate.

‘The only way to check blood glucose is by using the glucose machine, so it appeared to me that the recordings written manually by the registrant in the patient charts were made up and not from readings taken by the machine.’

Fears that likelihood of repetition would put future patients at risk

Ms Gaskarth-Parkhouse did not attend the March FtP hearing, where the panel heard how she had failed to engage with the process and had little insight into the danger the misconduct posed to patients. They noted she lacked sympathy or remorse.

The NMC hearing report stated: ‘The panel found that whilst the charges relate to one shift and four patients, Mrs Gaskarth-Parkhouse failed to take multiple blood sugar readings and falsified patient records to imply that they had been taken.

‘The panel also noted she had no insight into the significance of her misconduct. The panel has found that, because of this, there is a likelihood of repetition and, as a consequence Mrs Gaskarth-Parkhouse poses a risk to patients.’

She has been struck off the NMC register and has 28 days to appeal.

HCR has been invited to comment.


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