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Nurse Fariba Mirtorabi struck off after drug mistakes put patients at risk

A nurse has been struck off after being told her misconduct put those in her care “at real risk of significant harm”.

Fariba Mirtorabi was told at a misconduct hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council that the decision was taken to protect the public.

She faced a misconduct panel over allegations she failed to administer injections and incorrectly transcribed medication details while working at the Westbrook House care home in Margate.

The nurse failed to deliver an important injection of Clexane. Picture: Wiki Commons
The nurse failed to deliver an important injection of Clexane. Picture: Wiki Commons

The incidents took place in November and December 2014.

Mrs Mirtorabi was working a night shift at the home on November 25, 2014, when she failed to administer a Clexane injection to Resident A.

The hearing was told the blood-thinning medication was prescribed to the resident after they had surgery on a fractured femur.

The resident was at risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism which, without the injection, could have led to further hospital admission and, at worst, death.

The following evening, Resident B had medication times incorrectly transcribed by Mrs Mirtorabi which led to the resident being administered four times the prescribed dose every day for four days.

Resident B was supposed to receive one Cetirizine tablet per day and the error was only identified on December 3.

The panel heard that Resident B did not suffer any harm. However, they told Mrs Mirtorabi: “It was fortuitous that this was the case as there will be many medications where an overdose of comparable quantity could have serious consequences for the patient in question.”

A third incident came on December 13 when she failed to sign the controlled drugs book at the care home when administering Zomorph MR to Resident C, however this resident was given the correct dosage of medication.

A patient was given four times the prescribed dose of Cetirizine tablets. Picture: Wiki Commons
A patient was given four times the prescribed dose of Cetirizine tablets. Picture: Wiki Commons

The hearing also heard that Mrs Mirtorabi was suspended for six months in November 2013 after failing on drug control measures and lying about her previous employment history while working for the St Michael’s care home, Westgate, as a registered nurse.

In August 2015 she was brought before a hearing panel for sleeping on duty while she was supposed to be feeding a resident at the Miramar care home in Herne Bay. Further incidents regarding drug control were also brought before the panel last year.

The panel concluded the hearing by telling Mrs Mirtorabi that she placed patients in her care at unwarranted risk of harm and her fitness to practise was impaired by her misconduct.

They made the finding to protect the public and maintain public confidence in the profession.

A suspension order was ruled as insufficient to protect the public and the hearing panel told Mrs Mirtorabi that her interests were outweighed by public interests.

Her name will be removed from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s register and she will be unable to apply for restoration for the next five years.

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