Nurse Disbarred for On-Duty Alcohol Use

A nurse who was discovered consuming alcohol while on duty and offering alcoholic beverages to her colleagues has been removed from the nursing register. Jenny Steer served as the clinical lead at Country View Nursing Home in Kettering, Northamptonshire. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) heard that she drank alcohol during her shifts and in the presence of co-workers between December 2019 and July 2020. Miss Steer did not attend the hearing, but she had provided an apology in a written submission to an earlier hearing. An NMC panel initially suspended her for a period of one year on November 22, 2023. In its report, the panel determined that “Miss Steer’s “misconduct in ‘normalising’ the drinking of alcohol on duty was a serious breach of… professional standards”. Miss Steer informed the panel in writing that “she had made a mistake by drinking alcohol on shift and offering alcoholic drinks to her colleagues”. She also conveyed remorse for her actions, according to the panel. A review of the suspension order, conducted by the NMC on November 4, revealed that she ceased practicing as a nurse in 2020. It concluded that she would be “liable to repeat” the same behaviour if she were to return to nursing. The panel subsequently issued a striking-off order, which is set to take effect on December 20, the date when her original suspension was scheduled to conclude.