Off-duty nurse who dropped baby while drunk to be struck off

A children's nurse who dropped a baby head first onto a pavement while she was off-duty and drunk faces being struck off the nursing register.

Rachel Lynn, whose surname was McIntyre at the time of the incident in Inverness, had been holding the baby by its ankles over her shoulder.

Following a hearing, the Nursing and Midwifery Council panel has determined that she should be struck off.

Ms Lynn has 28 days to appeal the decision.

An interim suspension order prevents her from working as a nurse while she considers whether to appeal.

The panel said her fitness to practice was "impaired".

The hearing was held after Ms Lynn was convicted in January this year of wilful ill-treatment of the child while under the influence of alcohol and in June 2014 of a drink-driving offence.

She was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work following the incident involving the four-month-old child on Lawers Way in Inverness on 16 June 2014.

Inverness Sheriff Court heard that the child, who suffered a fracture to its skull, made a full recovery.