A nurse has been struck from the register after failing to give patients medication for conditions including epilepsy, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease at a care home in Hampton.

Amber Faye Stewart was instead found to have thrown away the medication while working at Hampton Care Home, in Hampton, in early 2020.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) misconduct panel ruled Miss Stewart's fitness to practise as a registered nurse was impaired, after holding two hearings in January, for failing to give medication to 'exceptionally vulnerable' patients who were not able to speak out.

Miss Stewart began working two night shifts a week at the care home in April 2019.

The care home launched an investigation after a whistleblower claimed Miss Stewart had not been giving medication to residents during her night shifts.

Staff viewed CCTV footage for her following six shifts on18, 19, 24 and 25 January and 1 and 2 February 2020, which allegedly showed she had not administered the drugs.

Miss Stewart initially denied her actions at a meeting on 15 February but admitted she had not given the prescriptions and instead disposed of them in a bin or sink when told the CCTV had been reviewed. Canford Healthcare, which runs the care home, then referred the matter to the NMC.

The panel found Miss Stewart did not administer medication to 33 residents over six consecutive shifts from 18 January to 2 February 2020 and inappropriately threw the prescriptions in a bin or sink.

It ruled she falsely recorded that she had administered the medication in a bid to cover her tracks.

A report from the NMC said: "The panel took the view that Miss Stewart's actions included a level of calculation in that she picked out specific residents who would be aware that they had not been given their medication and did administer to them, whereas she did not administer to those who were vulnerable and lacked mental capacity.

"The panel could not find any plausible explanation as to why Miss Stewart had acted in such a manner and in its view, her conduct was obviously dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people.

"Miss Stewart has acted in a dishonest manner by falsifying medical records during a number of shifts and in relation to a large number of residents amounting to a very substantial number of incidents."

The panel decided to strike Ms Stewart from the register, after ruling her misconduct had put patients at serious risk.

It found she had not shown any insight, remorse or engagement with the proceedings, and that she had been working in hospitality since being dismissed from the care home.

The report said: "Miss Stewart's actions had been on such a magnitude that her actions fell seriously short of the conduct and standards expected of a nurse.

"Miss Stewart was calculated in her actions in that she selected exceptionally vulnerable patients who were, by virtue of their cognitive abilities, unable to speak out as to whether they had received their medication.

"Although no documented harm was caused to the residents, her actions placed them at a significant risk of serious harm, as they were not being administered their prescribed medication over a prolonged period."

A Hampton Care Home spokesperson said: "As soon as the matter was brought to our attention, we suspended Amber Stewart while we undertook an immediate investigation.

"She was thereafter dismissed and reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Metropolitan Police, the local authority, CQC and the DBS.

"Hampton Care Home's first duty is always to protect the residents in our care, and we take these responsibilities extremely seriously."

Miss Stewart has been given 28 days to appeal the decision after being sent it in writing, before it is made permanent.