NHS nurse is struck off after nearly 500 women had to have their smear test redone

Nearly 500 women had to have their cervical smear tests redone after it emerged the nurse who carried them out was not qualified.

'Dishonest' Alison Watts failed to tell her bosses at an NHS surgery that she failed her course and continued screening women for almost two and a half years.

When it was discovered Watts had not passed the qualification, 461 women had to be recalled to have the cervix test again so they could have 'quality assured' tests.

Now Watts has been struck off for the shocking breach of trust, with a tribunal ruling that she put patients at 'significant risk of harm'.

A Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC] report said: 'This was not a single instance of misconduct but involved 461 patients over a two year period. There is evidence of sustained dishonesty and deep-seated attitudinal issues.'

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Source: Daily Mail, 26 January 2021