A Huddersfield care home nurse has been struck off for failing to record which drugs she was giving to the elderly patients.

A host of charges against Lindley Grange Care Home nurse and deputy manager, Ruth Glendinning, were heard by a tribunal of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in London.

A panel heard that Mrs Glendinning had not been handling powerful controlled drugs appropriately, including morphine, and could not prove whether or not she had forgotten to give some patients their medication.

The tribunal heard a total of nine patients were either not given their tablets, creams or injections, or the administration of them was not written down.

The drugs included sedatives, heavy duty pain killers, and treatments for gastro-intestinal ulcers, high blood pressure, schizophrenia and dementia.

The transgressions occurred on various dates between November 2011 and May 2012.

The panel also heard that Mrs Glendinning had been disciplined by bosses at the Bupa run home and issued a final warning.

A statement by the NMC panel, said: “The panel was of the view that on three separate occasions Mrs Glendinning’s record keeping fell short of what would be expected of a registered nurse.

“Mrs Glendinning had previously been made aware of her failings in relation to her record keeping and despite this, further incidents occurred...”

The panel said it acknowledged “entrenched local poor practice and cultural failings” at the home, at the time of the incidents, but considered the shortcomings serious enough to be of potential harm to residents.

After initially deciding to place her on a supervision order the panel decided to escalate it to suspension after the long serving employee failed to respond to NMC documentation.

The panel added: “The panel had no evidence of actual harm to residents in Mrs Glendinning’s care, however, given that the misconduct involved the administration of medication, including controlled drugs, the panel was of the view that the potential for harm was serious should the misconduct be repeated.”

A spokesperson for private health firm Bupa said: “We thoroughly investigated this nurse’s behaviour over two years ago after our people raised concerns, and reported her to the NMC.

“Our residents’ welfare is always our number one priority.”

The spokesperson said Mrs Glendinning had not worked at the home since 2012.

Mrs Glendinning was struck off for five years, although she has 28 days to appeal.