Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing

NMC panel strikes off nurse Gail Johnson over controlled drug errors and dishonesty

A Nursing and Midwifery Council panel has struck nurse Gail Johnson off the register, finding she administered controlled drugs without a second checker on two occasions and dishonestly asked colleagues to sign the records retrospectively.

MedicWatch editorial · Published 22 July 2026 · Updated 23 July 2026

Erasure (struck off the register)

Added to MedicWatch: 23 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 Gail Johnson, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 13B0714E).

Decision date: 22 July 2026 · Hearing started 17 July 2026 and ended 22 July 2026

In plain English

The NMC found that Gail Johnson, a registered nurse, administered controlled drugs to two patients without a second nurse present to check, and on one occasion gave morphine instead of the prescribed oxycodone. The panel found she asked two colleagues to sign the records afterwards, which it decided was dishonest, and that she did not tell one patient about the error. The Fitness to Practise Committee found her fitness to practise impaired and imposed a striking-off order, with an interim suspension order for 18 months.

Charges

That, as a registered nurse: (1) on 2 April 2022 she (a) administered Oxycodone, a controlled drug, to Patient A in the absence of a second nurse to witness and sign as a second checker and (b) asked Colleague 1 to sign Patient A's MAR chart and/or the Controlled Drugs Book retrospectively; (2) following that medication error she failed to (a) complete a DATIX/Incident Form and (b) escalate and/or report the error to the Nurse in charge; (3) her conduct at charge 1(b) was dishonest; (4) on 20 November 2021 she (a) administered Morphine to Patient B instead of Oxycodone, (b) did so without a second nurse to witness and sign as a second checker, (c) asked Colleague 2 to sign Patient B's MAR chart and/or the Controlled Drugs Book retrospectively and (d) did not inform Patient B of the error; (5) her conduct at charge 4(c) was dishonest; (6) her conduct at charge 4(d) was in breach of the duty of candour. Charges 4(e), 4(f) and 4(g) were found not proved.

Findings

The panel found charges 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 5 and 6 proved, and charges 4e, 4f and 4g not proved. It found her actions fell seriously short of the conduct and standards expected of a nurse and amounted to misconduct, breaching Code standards on record-keeping, candour, administration of medicines and upholding the reputation of the profession. On impairment the panel determined all four limbs of the Grant / Shipman test were engaged. It noted Miss Johnson had not engaged with the NMC, had provided no meaningful insight, remorse or evidence of remediation, and that dishonesty raises attitudinal concerns that are inherently more difficult to remediate. It found a pattern of repeated misconduct despite medication competency training from her employer, and determined there was a high risk of repetition. Fitness to practise was found impaired on the grounds of public protection and the public interest. The panel imposed a striking-off order, together with an interim suspension order for 18 months to cover the 28-day appeal period.

Mitigating factors

The panel took into account that Miss Johnson asserts in her local interview that the Ward was busy. A second mitigating feature was recorded in the determination as [PRIVATE].

Aggravating factors

The potential for patient harm; the misconduct concerned fundamental nursing skills; the misconduct comprised more than one incident of similar nature; Miss Johnson failed to demonstrate insight; no evidence of strengthened practice, due to Miss Johnson not appearing to have worked in a clinical setting since the last referred incident in November 2022; Miss Johnson persuaded a newly qualified nurse working through an agency to sign the MAR Chart and Controlled Drug Book to say she had witnessed the administration of the medication when she had not, and on a second occasion asked another colleague to do the same.

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.