Leeds nurse struck off after showing ‘indifference to patient suffering’

A hearing held on July 15 by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, heard how Liam Dorgan, then working for Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, had been suspended at previous hearings.

However, the decision to ultimately strike Dorgan off the nursing register was made, as the professional body claimed there was no evidence he had taken steps to improve as a nurse.

The hearing was told that, on the night shift of 19-20 November 2018, Dorgan did not conduct proper checks of a patient’s syringe driver, and inaccurately recorded that the patient’s syringe driver was working well.

A report stated: “Your actions were dishonest in that you knew you had not checked whether Patient A’s syringe driver was in situ and working well and intended to mislead your colleagues that you had conducted appropriate checks.”

It added that, on February 4, 2019, Dorgan did not record another patient’s fluid balance and, in response to the patient not passing urine, did not conduct a bladder scan or escalate the patient’s urine retention.

Referencing a previous reviewing panel in April, the report, published on the NMC website, stated: "The panel was of the view that there has not been any positive material change in circumstance since the order was made in April 2021 and reviewed in October 2021 and January 2022. Consistent with the findings of the reviewing panel in January 2022, there was again no evidence before it that Mr Dorgan had taken any steps to strengthen his practice or to address the serious concerns raised at the substantive hearing.

"The panel shared the concerns of the substantive hearing that determined that Mr Dorgan had demonstrated a pattern of poor patient care and indifference to patient suffering with associated dishonesty, and therefore the panel considered that Mr Dorgan continued to pose a risk of harm to patients given his lack of engagement.”

It added that Dorgan had also been out of practice for a period of time, and that it had no information on his current employment.

The latest report concluded: “The panel determined that given Mr Dorgan’s lack of engagement with his regulator, and not submitting any evidence as has been requested by the previous panels meant that a suspension order was no longer appropriate.

"It noted that the third reviewing panel was quite clear that any future reviewing panel will have all sanctions including strike-off available to it.

"The panel is concerned therefore that this lack of engagement with the process raises fundamental concerns regarding Mr Dorgan’s professionalism; it is a registrant’s duty to engage with their regulator. Further, the panel determined that public confidence in the profession would be undermined in these circumstances.

"The panel therefore determined that it was necessary to take action to prevent Mr Dorgan from practising in the future and concluded that the only sanction that would adequately protect the public and serve the public interest was a striking-off order.”

Dorgan was not present at the hearing and was unrepresented.

The hearing issued a striking off order on Dorgan.