Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing
NMC panel strikes off nurse Helen Bagley over dishonest clinical reference
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has struck nurse Helen Bagley off its register after a panel found she dishonestly completed a clinical reference for another nurse, claiming a supervisory role she knew she had not held.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 16 July 2026 · Updated 18 July 2026
Erasure (struck off the register)
Added to MedicWatch: 18 July 2026Report a correction
What does “struck off the register” mean?
Being struck off (the regulator calls this "erasure") removes the practitioner from the register. They are no longer permitted to practise this profession in the UK. Erasure can be reviewed after a minimum of five years, but is otherwise indefinite.
Concerning Helen Bagley, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 84F0800E).
Decision date: 16 July 2026 · Hearing started 16 July 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that nurse Helen Bagley dishonestly completed a clinical reference for another nurse, stating she had been their Matron when she knew she had not. Under a consensual panel determination accepted on 16 July 2026, the panel found her fitness to practise impaired and imposed a striking-off order, with an 18-month interim suspension in case of appeal.
Charges
That she, a registered nurse: 1) on or before 12 February 2022, completed a clinical reference form for Person A which stated a) "Yes" to the question "Would you re-employ?", b) "15 days due to Covid" for sickness absence in the last 12 months, c) "None" for parental leave in the last 5 years, and d) that her position was a Matron; 2) her actions at charges 1a-1d were dishonest in that she knew she had not been Person A's supervisor and/or Matron; 3) her actions were motivated by an intention to create the impression that she had been Person A's supervisor and/or Matron. Facts proved by admission (charges 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2 and 3).
Findings
At a Fitness to Practise Committee substantive meeting on 16 July 2026, the panel accepted a Consensual Panel Determination agreed between the NMC and Ms Bagley. The charges were found proved by her admissions. The panel determined that her dishonest conduct in providing a false clinical reference for Person A, who had previously been subject to disciplinary action, was serious misconduct that breached the NMC Code and brought the profession into disrepute. It found her fitness to practise currently impaired on both public protection and public interest grounds, noting limited insight into the dishonesty. The panel concluded that a striking-off order was the only appropriate and proportionate sanction, and imposed an interim suspension order for 18 months to cover any appeal period.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
Some relevant training; early admissions to the charges.
Aggravating factors
Dishonesty; lack of insight into her dishonest conduct; premeditated, systematic deception; risk of harm to people receiving care.
Source
All facts on this page are drawn from the publicly published Nursing and Midwifery Council determination linked below. MedicWatch does not editorialise the regulator’s findings.
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