Mental health nurse struck off for 'wide-ranging failures' over a number of years

A mental health nurse has been struck off after “wide-ranging failures” over a number of years.

William Desmond Garner, who worked for Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, has been issued with a striking off order from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

“The panel considered that Mr Garner’s wide-ranging failures, lack of clinical knowledge and skills and lack of remediation were fundamentally incompatible with his remaining on the register,” reads the NMC hearing outcome document.

“The failings in Mr Garner’s nursing practice were extensive and had occurred despite being provided support and supervision,” it adds.

The Conduct and Competence Committee Substantive Order Review Meeting to discuss Mr Garner’s competence took place on January 12.

It was the fourth substantive order review of a suspension order initially imposed on Mr Garner’s registration in March 2011.

At panel heard that Mr Garner “failed to demonstrate the standards of knowledge, skill and judgement required to practise without supervision as a Band 5 nurse, from 26 February 2006 to 6 August 2008.”

Incidents included mistakenly giving sedatives and anti-depressants to elderly patients.

The suspension order was then reviewed and extended by 12 months in March 2012, April 2013 and March 2014.

But last week, the panel heard that “the failings in Mr Garner’s nursing practice were extensive and had occurred despite being provided support and supervision.”

And “despite the recommendations of previous review panels, Mr Garner has not demonstrated any remediation or insight into his failings during this time and the panel concluded that he remains a significant risk to patients.”

Mr Garner, who worked on the Wingfield Ward, at Sandwell Park Hospital, Hartlepool, left the trust in October 2013. By this time he was working as a support worker.

He is now not allowed to work as a nurse or midwife in the UK. He would have to make an application to be restored to the register.

A spokesperson for Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We referred Mr Garnen to the NMC in 2008 because of the issues detailed in their report.

“Although he continued to work for the trust this was no longer in a registered mental health nurse role. Mr Garnen left the trust in 2013.”