After a misconduct panel discovered major professional shortcomings, such as inappropriate remarks about patients and medication errors, a hospice nurse was fired.

Following a hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council regarding her behavior while employed at St. Peter and St. James Hospice between 2023 and 2024, 60-year-old Naomi Butcher was removed from the nursing register.

The panel heard that she made an offensive comment about a patient who was near death in December 2023, saying something like, “I make a bet with all of you that he will die on Christmas Day.” The remark was mentioned as a component of an unprofessional behavior pattern.

In another incident, she refused a family’s request to visit the hospice sanctuary after their relative had died, making comments about the family that were described by the panel as discriminatory, degrading, and unacceptable.

The hearing also found serious clinical failings. Butcher administered a 50 mg dose of Midazolam to a patient over a 24-hour period, ten times the correct dosage, and incorrectly recorded that the amount given was accurate, placing the patient at risk.

The panel heard there were multiple other instances where medication was administered incorrectly or required checks were not carried out. Butcher admitted to some of the comments but denied others. Evidence from a colleague was accepted by the panel after she failed to attend the hearing.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said she had shown “limited insight” into her actions and failed to demonstrate an understanding of their impact on patients and families. It concluded there was a continuing risk of repetition.

As a result, she has been struck off the register, a decision that will take effect after the standard 28-day appeal period.