Colleagues could smell alcohol on the breath of Terry Thompson, 39, during her shift at Roberttown Nursing Home in Liversedge, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.

Thompson, from Leeds, subsequently made a series of errors, including giving seven patients their afternoon dose of co-amilofruse – used to treat water retention in legs or lungs – in the morning.

She also abandoned an unlocked trolley loaded with drugs to take a cigarette break.

Nursing and Midwifery Council panel chairman Jim Spencer said the nurse made a series of errors which could have had "serious results".

He said: "The panel noted that the registrant's mistakes in the administration of medication might have had serious consequences, although there is no evidence that there was any harm to the patient.

"Although the registrant's misconduct was not deliberate, there is no evidence of any regret or apology, or of any insight into the registrant's failings.

"The panel is satisfied that the misconduct, although serious, is not fundamentally incompatible with registration and her lack of competence is not irremediable.

"The administration of medicines is an important aspect of the professional practice of persons whose names are on the council's register. It requires thought and the exercise of professional judgement."

The panel heard how concerns were first raised when fellow nurse June Kaye arrived at the home to start her shift at 1.30pm on May 13. She said she immediately smelt the drink on Thompson's breath and then discovered seven patients had been given afternoon dose of drugs instead of their morning dose.

Thompson later became abusive when she found out her employers at Medilink Nursing Agency had forwarded the complaint on to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

She was not present at the hearing, and made no admissions to the charges.

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