A NURSE who was found guilty of possession of crack cocaine and MDMA with intent to supply has been struck off the register.
Dayna Saddington was convicted at Leeds Crown Court last year after being found with the stash at a property in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, in 2018.
The former nurse was also convicted in September 2020 after being caught driving under the influence of cocaine just one day after the UK went into lockdown.
Having been stopped by police she was found to have excessive amounts of cocaine and Benzoylecgonine in her system and was later banned from driving for three years.
Following her convictions regarding her intent to sell, Saddington received a suspended two year sentence from Leeds Crown Court.
A probation report revealed that Saddington was a respected nurse but became addicted to amphetamines during an abusive relationship.
Saddington, who was employed by Leeds Community Health Care Trust, has now pleaded with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to remain on the register.
She has claimed to have completely turned her life around and expressed interest in becoming a mental health nurse.
However the NMC denied her requests and last week ruled to strike her from the register.
On making their decision, the NMC said: “Nurses occupy a position of privilege and trust in society, and are expected at all times to be professional.
“Patients and their families must be able to trust nurses with their lives and the lives of their loved ones. To justify that trust, nurses must act with integrity.
“They must make sure that their conduct at all times justifies both their patients’ and the public’s trust in the profession.
“By way of your convictions, you have breached the fundamental tenets of the nursing profession, and therefore brought its reputation into disrepute.
“You have considered the professional implications of your convictions on the people you cared for and may care for in the future, and have recognised the potential concerns about your access to medication.
“However, the panel has borne in mind the overarching objectives of the NMC, which include promoting and maintaining public confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions, and upholding the proper professional standards for members of those professions
“The panel determined that, in this case, your offences are of a nature so serious that a finding of impairment on public interest grounds is required.
“The panel considered that, as you have yet to complete your sentence, public confidence in the profession would be compromised if the panel did not make a finding of impairment.
“Having regard to all of the above, the panel was satisfied that your fitness to practise is currently impaired.”
