A SENIOR care home nurse hid tablets in the residents’ food and sprinkled ‘white powder’ on a patient’s meal.
A panel for the Nursing and Midwife Council (NMC) has handed Stewart Sheridan a two year caution order following the incidents at St Mary’s Nursing Home in Harborough Magna.
The nurse – who has since retired – was suspended by the home on Montilo Lane in November 2015 pending an investigation after reports surfaced of him hiding pills in resident’s food and asking carers who were not qualified to adminster them.
He resigned from his position the following month but has since had a hearing in front of the NMC.
He admitted to pouring medication into a resident’s drink, hiding tablets in porridge and asking colleagues to adminster medication when they were not qualified to do so.
He also left pots of medication in the kitchen which the NMC panel said was not the correct protocol as they were not stored securely.
The panel of three members also say Mr Sheridan breached the nursing code by not being certain of the identity of the person who was receiving medication and disguising medication in food or drink so the resident did not know they were receiving any.
A spokesman said: “Mr Sheridan’s failures were serious and involved outdated practice that while not malicious had the potential to cause serious patient harm. His actions fell seriously short of the conduct and standards expected of a nurse and amounted to misconduct.”
Mr Sheridan was handed a two year caution order.
He has since retired and does not plan to return to nursing.
