A catalogue of other accusations were also heard by the panel.
A mental health nurse has been struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council register for watching Netflix and sleeping at work.
Susan Hughes admits she watched the streaming service with headphones while doing paperwork but claims it “helped her concentrate whilst working”.
Miss Hughes was also accused of sleeping on duty, something that she denied at her Fitness to Practice hearing.
A catalogue of other accusations were also heard by the panel, including not responding to patient call bells and shouting at patients.
Helped with concentration.
Miss Hughes’ employer, brighterkind first raised concerns about misconduct.
However, in regard to the charges of watching Netflix, one witness claimed: “Susan used to watch Netflix every night and would finish watching it at around 10.30pm after she had finished the medication.
“She would watch it for hours on end. She would watch it in the reception area on her phone with ear phones in.”
Another witness added, “I saw Susan sleep on duty every shift I worked with her. She would be on reception with her feet on the desk.
“She used to sleep for an hour and a half around 5.30am or 5.45am before starting the morning medication round at 7am.”
Little insight.
The Fitness to Practice panel made a decision to remove Miss Hughes from the NMC register. The hearing transcript explains, “The panel was of the view that Miss Hughes’ actions did fall significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse, and that Miss Hughes’ actions amounted to breaches of the Code”.
“Any nurse who sleeps during a shift or watches Netflix while doing nursing paperwork and important documentation such as care plans and thinks it appropriate to watch Netflix in those circumstances, raises a fundamental question about their professionalism.”
The panel noted that Miss Hughes has “little insight” into the impact of her misconduct.
