Nurse suspended after admitting stealing £700 from Coatbridge care home resident fund

A nurse has been suspended from the register after admitting stealing £700 from a care home resident fund where she worked.

The incident is believed to have occurred on or around April 14, 2020 while Katherine Gilmour was the deputy manager at Millbrae Care Home in Coatbridge.

The fund was made up of donations, fundraising and corporate contributions, and used to buy items, outings and entertainment for residents at the care home.

Held in a designated bank account, it was only able to be accessed with two signatures on a cheque, one of which was Gilmour as the deputy manager, and the other that of a care assistant.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council fitness to practice committee heard that witness testimony stated that Gilmore asked the care assistant to sign a blank cheque, telling her that she would be going to the bank whilst the care assistant was on shift.

On April 14, 2020, Gilmour withdrew £700 from the residents’ fund without authorisation from the manager and unaccompanied by the care assistant.

When the discrepancy was noticed, Gilmour was asked by senior staff if there were any issues with the accounts or if she knew why it was not adding up.

Gilmour said she did not know and the manager advised her to go and have a think about it and come back.

Approximately 30 minutes later she returned to the office and admitted taking the £700, she was then suspended immediately pending further investigation.

At an investigation meeting on July 17, 2020, Gilmour stated that she had taken the £700 to make a payment and thought she would have been able to pay it back before anyone noticed the money had been taken.

The matter was referred to the police, who charged her with embezzling funds. Gilmour pled guilty but did not attend the sentencing hearing in September 2022 and so a warrant was issued for her arrest. Gilmour has not yet been sentenced for the crime.

On May 22, 2024, Gilmour emailed the Nursing and Midwifery Council admitting the charges and accepted that she was impaired.

The panel found that: “Mrs Gilmour’s actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register.

“The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that Mrs Gilmour’s actions were serious and to allow her to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession.”

A temporary suspension order is in place to allow Gilmour to appeal the judgement, this will be replaced by a striking off order if no appeal is made after 28 days.