Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing
NMC panel strikes off mental health nurse Gareth Hardstaff in misconduct and health case
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Fitness to Practise Committee has imposed a striking-off order on Norfolk mental health nurse Gareth John Hardstaff, finding his fitness to practise impaired in a misconduct and health case heard entirely in private under Rule 19.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 14 July 2026 · Updated 18 July 2026
Erasure (struck off the register)
Added to MedicWatch: 17 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 Gareth John Hardstaff, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 09F0903E).
Decision date: 14 July 2026 · Hearing started 1 July 2026 and ended 14 July 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that Gareth John Hardstaff's fitness to practise was impaired and imposed a striking-off order, removing him from the register. The hearing, held in July 2026 in a misconduct and health case, took place entirely in private under Rule 19, so the panel's detailed findings are not public. An 18-month interim suspension order was also imposed.
Charges
The hearing was held entirely in private under Rule 19 of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (Fitness to Practise) Rules 2004, so the charges are not in the public record. The case type was recorded as misconduct/health. The cover page records that charges 1a(ii), 1i, 2, 3, 4 and 6(i) were proved by admission, and charges 1a(i), 1a(iii), 1b, 1c(i), 1c(ii), 1d, 1e, 1f(i), 1f(ii), 1g, 1h, 1j, 1k, 1l, 5, 6(ii), 7, 8 and 9 were found proved.
Findings
The panel found his fitness to practise impaired and imposed a striking-off order, together with an interim suspension order for 18 months. Because the entirety of the hearing was held in private under Rule 19, the panel's findings and reasons are not in the public record.
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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