Lanarkshire nurse who stole two patients' debit cards to pay for petrol suspended from register

A Lanarkshire nurse has been suspended after stealing the debit cards of two patients to pay for petrol while they were attending an appointment.

Clair McCluskie was found guilty after admitting to the offences which took place between July and August 2022.

McCluskie made four purchases at B&M Bargains, Morrisons, and Burnbank Service Station totalling £81.97, which she has been ordered to repay.

The offences were reported to police and initially McCluskie said she found the purse and bank cards of the patients, but later stated in pre-sentencing reports that she was in financial difficulty.

She stated she had no money for petrol to get to work the following day and that was why she took the debit cards.

McCluskie plead guilty at Hamilton Sherriff Court and was sentenced to a Community Payback Order and 120 hours unpaid work.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council found that: “Patients were caused financial and emotional harm as a result of your conduct, for which you received a conviction.

“Your conduct breached the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and therefore brought its reputation into disrepute.

“It was satisfied that confidence in the nursing profession would be undermined if its regulator did not find charges relating to dishonesty extremely serious.

“The panel was not sufficiently satisfied that you would act differently if you were to find yourself in a similar situation in future. It therefore decided that a finding of impairment is necessary on the grounds of public protection.”

McCluskie was suspended for an interim period of 18 months, and she has 28 days to appeal the decision, otherwise she will be struck from the register.