A NURSE who administered insulin which had not been prescribed and tampered with the patient's notes to "dishonestly conceal" her actions has been suspended from practising.

Josephine Qasim, of Derwent Drive, Bury, was found to have administered more insulin than had been prescribed to a female patient at Gorsey Clough Nursing Home in Tottington on two separate occasions, a disciplinary panel heard.

Ms Qasim administered six units of insulin at midnight on November 1, 2013, and a further six units at about 4am the following morning.

The patient's daughter questioned Ms Qasim after she had noticed that notes had been tampered with, with the manager of the home then being informed and an investigation being launched.

Ms Qasim was suspended from practising as a nurse for six months during a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in London. She had earlier been dismissed from her job by home bosses.

A panel of the body's Conduct and Competence Committee heard evidence from the patient's daughter, the manager of the nursing home and Ms Qasim.

The panel was told that the patient was a long-term resident at the home, and that she had been prescribed six units of long acting insulin on November 1 to be administered at night, because her health was deteriorating.

Her daughter stayed with the patient overnight because of her ill health, and she was administered with the prescribed six units of insulin at 8pm on November 1, and the following two doses of insulin were administered above and beyond her prescription.

The following morning, the patient's daughter had asked for her mother to be taken into hospital because of her condition, and paramedics sought to clarify the amount of insulin that she had been administered.

Ms Qasim was then said to have scribbled out the entries in the patient's notes which stated she had administered the dosage at 4am.

At a meeting with the manager of the home on November 4, Ms Qasim denied administering the dosage at 4am, saying that making entries in the patient's notes to that effect was a mistake, and that she altered the records because she had "panicked".

However the panel rejected this, saying that her account was not credible because similar entries had been made on two different documents.

The panel was told that Ms Qasim had apologised for her actions, but that they had "concerns" about her attitude because she had attempted to "apportion responsibility to a colleague", and warned that there was a risk that she could do the same again.

Ms Qasim had completed one or two night shifts a week at the home since January 2009, and had worked there previously between 2005 and 2008.

The panel's ruling stated: "Patient A was vulnerable and entirely dependent on your care. Your errors were serious and put her at unwarranted risk of harm.

"Furthermore, Patient A was put at further unwarranted risk of harm as a result of you attempting to conceal your errors.

"The facts that underlie these charges relate to fundamental principles of nursing, namely honesty, integrity and trustworthiness.

"In relation to you falsifying the records, the panel is of the view that such dishonest behaviour can be difficult to remedy and therefore there is a real risk of repetition."

After the hearing, a statement issued by home manager Collette Conway said: "Gorsey Clough operates a zero tolerance policy to any improper conduct by any member of staff and these incidents were sufficient for myself, the home manager, to immediately report Nurse Josephine Qasim in November 2013 to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and to dismiss her following an internal investigation by the home.

"We follow a robust Safeguarding Adults Policy and are committed to training our employees to deliver the highest standards of care in our industry. All our staff are fully vetted prior to joining us and regularly assessed through ongoing internal audits. Josephine Qasim underwent a DBS Check (Disclosure and Barring Service) before starting work with us and we received excellent references for her.

"Unfortunately, the resident has since passed away from an unrelated illness.

"The welfare, dignity, and safety of our residents is our number one priority at all times. We have built a strong reputation for delivering high quality care and are fully Care Quality Commission (CQC) compliant."