A struggling nurse has been struck off for borrowing nearly £2,000 from a patient. Practice nurse Angela Cullen, 44, denied taking at least £1,900 in cash from the unnamed man.
A misconduct panel found she had "breached professional boundaries" by accepting the money and shown "dishonesty" when quizzed. The committee was told Miss Cullen had partially repaid the patient - but had hidden the loan from her surgery bosses at Saundersfoot Medical Centre, Pembrokeshire.
She was eventually suspended and admitted accepting the money but faced the misconduct panel from the Nursing and Midwifery Council in Cardiff. A social worker said she showed a "lack of empathy" and not recognised accepting the loan was wrong.
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The panel said: "She was more concerned about her job. She had made no effort to pay him back. There was a lack of respect for the patient and his money. The nursing profession is a caring profession. To abuse a position of power is a breach of this most fundamental tenet.
"In failing to be open and honest about the nature of her relationship with Patient A and the extent of her borrowing from him, Miss Cullen has demonstrated behaviour which raises fundamental concerns about her trustworthiness. Miss Cullen’s actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register."
Miss Cullen was given an 18-month suspension but will be struck off permanently if she does not appeal.
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