Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing

NMC panel strikes off nurse Keira Burton over prison drug smuggling convictions

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has struck nurse Keira Burton off the register after she was convicted of conveying drugs and phones into HMP Preston, where she worked as an advanced nurse practitioner. A panel found her fitness to practise impaired on public interest grounds.

MedicWatch editorial · Published 13 August 2026 · Updated 18 August 2026

Erasure (struck off the register)

Added to MedicWatch: 17 August 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 Keira Burton, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 13F1345E).

Decision date: 13 August 2026 · Hearing started 13 August 2026

In plain English

The NMC found that Keira Burton, a registered nurse working at HMP Preston, was convicted in July 2024 of conspiring to smuggle prohibited articles into prison and of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and another Class B drug. She was jailed for 20 months. The panel found her fitness to practise impaired on public interest grounds and struck her off the register, with an 18-month interim suspension order covering the appeal period.

Charges

Type of case: conviction. The charge was that Miss Burton, a registered nurse, on 18 July 2024 was convicted of: (1) conspire to bring/throw/convey a List 'A' prohibited article into/out of a prison; (2) conspire to bring/throw/convey a List 'B' prohibited article into/out of a prison; (3) being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug Class B - Cannabis; and (4) being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug Class B - Other. In light of the above, her fitness to practise was said to be impaired by reason of her convictions. Charges 1, 2, 3 and 4 were found proved.

Findings

The panel found the facts proved on the certificate of conviction under Rule 31(2) and (3). Miss Burton was employed as an advanced nurse practitioner at HMP Preston and was one of 13 defendants convicted over the conveyance and onward supply of cannabis, spice, ketamine, phones and SIM cards into HMP Preston and HMP Lancaster Farms between July 2023 and April 2024; she was sentenced to 20 months' custody on 21 March 2025. The panel determined she had put patients at unwarranted risk of harm, brought the profession into disrepute and breached fundamental tenets. It accepted she had shown substantial insight and remorse and found no risk of repetition, so impairment was not required on public protection grounds, but found her fitness to practise impaired in the public interest. It imposed a striking-off order and an interim suspension order for 18 months to cover the appeal period.

Mitigating factors

The panel took into account the following mitigating feature: Miss Burton has demonstrated genuine remorse and developed insight.

Aggravating factors

The panel took into account the following aggravating features: Miss Burton abused a position of trust; her conduct recklessly put people receiving care at risk of suffering harm; she deliberately breached the Code; there was a pattern of offending behaviour over a period of time; the vulnerability of the people receiving care; and her behaviour was premeditated.

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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