A nurse who was jailed after going on a spending spree with a dying grandad's bank card has now been struck off the nursing register.
Leanne Wallace, 40, was sentenced to prison at Teesside Crown Court in November, last year, after she targeted Leslie Rushworth, known as Les, as he lay on his death bed at the University Hospital of North Tees, in Stockton, Teesside Live reports.
During a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing last month, the panel heard the patient and particularly his family, were caused extreme emotional harm as a result of Wallace’s fraudulent actions which occurred as a result of abuse of her position of trust.
In November, Teesside Crown Court heard Wallace used her patient's bank card to buy:
£73.99 on wallpaper, on July 12, 2020
£10.57 and £23.97 purchases from Amazon, July 12, 2020
£699 on a bed from Home Living, on July 13, 2020
£900 on a loan repayment to Provident, on July 13, 2020
The court heard that the vulnerable and weak grandad-of-four, from Seaton Carew, who was being cared for by Wallace, was transferred to Alice House Hospice, in Hartlepool, and died on July 16, 2020.
He'd been in hospital since July 3 suffering pneumonia, anorexia and general deterioration.
During the NMC hearing, it was claimed the nurse - formerly of Challoner Road in the Dyke House area of Hartlepool - tried to hide her guilt claiming Mr Rushworth was a generous man who had offered to pay off her loan, the bed was for him and the purchases from Amazon, one was for his benefit.
The report reads: "In stealing from Patient A, who was a vulnerable and terminal patient, Ms Wallace caused distress to his family who were already distressed and grieving in his final hours and after he passed away.
"The panel found Ms Wallace’s actions were egregious and breached the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and therefore brought its reputation into disrepute.
It was satisfied that confidence in the nursing profession would be undermined if its regulator did not find charges relating to dishonesty and fraud extremely serious."
In November, Judge Howard Crowson told Wallace that she must serve an immediate custodial sentence: ''This was an appalling abuse of trust. You were entirely selfish.
"You ruined the family's final hours with their father. Instead of being able to concentrate on him, they had to think about this fraud.
"I find it very hard to understand that desperation led you to this. Desperate people seldom consider purchasing a £700 bed.
"That looks more like greed. You have damaged the reputation of care workers in this country."
She was handed a 14-month prison sentence and she has now been struck off from the nursing register.
The NMC report adds: "Balancing all of these factors and after taking into account all the evidence before it during this case, the panel determined that the appropriate and proportionate sanction is that of a striking-off order.
"Having regard to the effect of Ms Wallace’s actions in bringing the profession into disrepute by adversely affecting the public’s view of how a registered nurse should conduct themselves, the panel has concluded that nothing short of this would be sufficient in this case."
