AN “ashamed and horrified” mental health nurses has been struck off from the profession after admitting to borrowing thousands of pounds from vulnerable patients.

Brid Patricia Martin, who has been a registered mental health nurse for almost 40 years, was told her fitness to practice was impaired by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and was struck off at a hearing last month.

The committee heard how she had “breached professional boundaries” by talking three patients into lending her almost £4,000 in December 2018, and told them to keep quiet about it as she would be sacked if they told anyone.

She borrowed £1,700 from one service user, £1,600 from another, and £500 from a third, telling the first and third you would be sacked if anyone found out.

She was found to have been dishonest by concealing this borrowed cash from her employer.

She also failed to record notes in digital patients records, paper records, progress notes or recorded insufficient detail about visits on 49 occasions between June and December 2018 regarding 28 patients.

Prior to the committee, on August 16, Miss Martin had admitted every charge, but was not present at the hearing.

The NMC submitted Miss Martin made a “large number of errors which demonstrates a lack of care and attention” and relating to the borrowed money said her actions “go against the fundamental principles in nursing”.

“Miss Martin disregarded her patient’s wellbeing, took advantage of their trust and acted dishonestly,” the NMC added, “Miss Martin’s actions fall at the highest level of misconduct.

“Miss Martin caused her patients, who were vulnerable, undue stress and harm. Her actions had a financial, and emotional, impact on the service users involved; she acted dishonestly and this caused further harm.”

In a statement sent to the NMC, Miss Martin said: “I am ashamed and horrified at my action after serving 40 years as a caring and dedicated nurse.

“I was not able to offer my apologies to the patient I let down and hope that they will forgive me.

“I regret deeply my actions and feel I have let myself, my patients and my employers down and this is not how I would have wanted to end an unblemished career of 40 years.

“I find it hard to understand my actions even now and have always put the interest of my patients first so no amount of reflection can bring me to terms with what I have done.”

Miss Martin returned the borrowed money to patients to the full amount.

The misconduct panel concluded Miss Martin’s actions fell “significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse”.

They added: “The charges regarding breaching professional boundaries and acting dishonestly were serious and repeated over a period of time.

“Nurses occupy a position of privilege and trust in society and are expected at all times to be professional and to maintain professional boundaries.

“Patients and their families must be able to trust nurses with their lives and the lives of their loved ones. To justify that trust, nurses must be honest and open and act with integrity.

“The panel finds patients were put at risk and were caused emotional and financial harm as a result of Miss Martin’s misconduct, which breached the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and therefore brought its reputation into disrepute.

“Miss Martin has not demonstrated an understanding of the impact of her actions on the service users, their families, the general public, or on public confidence in the nursing profession.

“The panel considered that Miss Martin’s statements focus more on the impact of her actions on herself.”

Miss Martin, who has now retired from nursing, was struck off the nursing register, and the panel said this was the “only order that is appropriate in this case” as her actions were “fundamentally incompatible” with the profession.