Hospice nurse struck off after pocketing £1,000 donation
- Published
A dying patient and her husband decided to donate £1,000 to St Nicholas Hospice
A nurse has been struck off after pocketing £1,000 given to a hospice by a man whose wife had just died.
Carol Bowyer was a nurse at St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds when she was given the donation in November 2013, but she failed to tell anyone.
She denied receiving the cash when asked by a colleague but later claimed she found the wad of notes in a pocket.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council found her fitness to practise was impaired and imposed a striking-off order.
The man who made the donation had made a joint decision to do so with his wife just before she died.
He gave Mrs Bowyer £1,000 in £20 notes which he remembered her counting out in front of him before she put them in her pocket on 28 November 2013.
When he returned the next day, he told another staff member about the donation.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council found Carol Bowyer "abused her position"
Mrs Bowyer denied having received any money from the man when she was asked by a colleague on 3 December.
But later that day, she telephoned to say she had found the "wad of notes" in her tunic pocket in the laundry basket.
'Fuzzy' memory
When interviewed about the situation, Mrs Bowyer claimed her memory of the exchange with the patient's husband was "fuzzy".
The council's Conduct and Competence Committee ruled she had intended to take the donation for her own personal use.
The substantive hearing decided she had "abused her position and the trust placed in her when dealing with a vulnerable relative in an extremely emotional situation".
It said although Mrs Bowyer had made some admissions to the charges, she had not admitted dishonesty which became "calculated and sustained" and her actions showed "a complete disregard for the nursing profession".
The chief executive of St Nicholas Hospice Care, Barbara Gale, said she was "shocked and saddened" by what Mrs Bowyer had done.
"I am so very sorry something went wrong as a result of the actions of this nurse," she said.
"We would like to reassure all the people who raise money for us that this was an isolated incident and it has never happened before."