Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing
NMC panel suspends nurse Sarah Barea for two months over Covid-19 vaccine advice
The Nursing and Midwifery Council has suspended nurse Sarah Jane Barea for two months after a panel found she gave advice on the Covid-19 vaccine contrary to public health guidance, including encouraging a patient not to pursue vaccination.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 6 May 2026 · Updated 11 July 2026
Suspension (suspended from practice) — 2 months
Added to MedicWatch: 11 July 2026Report a correction
What does “suspended from practice” mean?
A suspension is a fixed-term pause on the right to practise. The practitioner cannot work in the regulated profession during the suspension. At the end of the period the suspension may be extended, replaced with another sanction, or lifted on review.
Concerning Sarah Jane Barea, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 91A0327E).
Decision date: 6 May 2026 · Hearing started 27 April 2026 and ended 6 May 2026
This sanction period has elapsed.
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that nurse Sarah Jane Barea gave advice on the Covid-19 vaccine contrary to public health advice, including saying or implying to a caller that the vaccine was toxic, and encouraging a patient not to pursue vaccination. The panel found her fitness to practise impaired by reason of misconduct and imposed a two-month suspension order, with an 18-month interim suspension to cover any appeal period.
Charges
That, whilst working at the Wadebridge & Camel Estuary Practice, she provided advice on the Covid-19 vaccine contrary to public health advice: on or around 21 October 2021, stating words to the effect that and/or implying to Person X that the vaccine was toxic, that it caused an increase in Covid-19 cases, that there was a 42% higher death rate due to vaccinations, that 4 children had died from the vaccination, and that the vaccine should be treated with suspicion due to being made within a year (charges 1a-1e, proved); and on 26 October 2021, during clinical appointments, not advising a patient to undertake a PCR test (2d, proved by admission) and encouraging the patient/s not to pursue the vaccine (2f, proved). Charges 2a, 2b, 2c and 2e were found not proved.
Findings
The panel found the proved conduct amounted to misconduct, breaching the Code including the requirements to give evidence-based advice and not to express personal beliefs inappropriately. It found her fitness to practise currently impaired on public protection and public interest grounds, concluding her insight was incomplete and contradictory and that the risk of repetition had not been fully mitigated. It imposed a two-month suspension order with a review, and an 18-month interim suspension order to cover any appeal period.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
Evidence that she has worked safely and professionally since October 2021; some relevant training courses and some reflection on the misconduct; positive testimonials from colleagues; the nuanced context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aggravating factors
Abuse of a position of trust; deliberate breaches of the Code; conduct that puts people receiving care at risk of harm; a pattern of misconduct over a limited period of time; limited and contradictory insight in respect of the impact of the misconduct on patients, the profession and the wider public; continued focus on external material outside of public health advice for Covid-19.
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.
Spot something incorrect?
If a fact on this page is wrong, or you believe the page should not be published, please submit a correction or takedown request.