Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — review hearing
NMC panel strikes off nurse Christie Okwaraji over unremedied competence concerns
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Fitness to Practise Committee has directed that nurse Christie Okwaraji be struck off the register, finding at a fifth review that she had not produced objective evidence of remediating lack-of-competence concerns first found proved in 2021.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 8 July 2026 · Updated 12 July 2026
Erasure (struck off the register)
Added to MedicWatch: 12 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 Christie Nonye Okwaraji, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 18B0302E).
Decision date: 8 July 2026 · Hearing started 8 July 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that Christie Okwaraji's fitness to practise remains impaired and directed that her name be struck off the register. At the fifth review of a conditions of practice order imposed in 2021 for lack of competence, the panel said she had not produced objective evidence of strengthened practice or remediation and that further conditions or a suspension would serve no useful purpose. The striking-off order takes effect on 17 August 2026.
Charges
The charges found proved at the original substantive hearing were that, between 20 August 2018 and 17 February 2019, Mrs Okwaraji failed to demonstrate the standards of knowledge, skill and experience required to practise safely as a Band 5 nurse. The proved particulars included using incorrect drug codes on medication charts and not demonstrating knowledge of what each code represented; inaccurately recording drugs on medication charts; failing to follow pharmacy instructions to send medication home with a patient; transferring a patient to another ward without their medication contrary to instructions; incorrectly noting that a patient had self-administered IV medication when they had not; failing to re-insert or escalate a patient's dislodged NG tube; failing to complete and record required syringe driver checks; failing to change a patient's soiled dressing when asked; calling a patient by the wrong name throughout a shift; failing to escalate and seek assistance when a patient reported pain; failing to obtain consent before administering pain relief; failing to communicate effectively with colleagues at handovers; and failing to relay relevant information to a doctor. Her fitness to practise was found impaired by reason of lack of competence.
Findings
This was the fifth review of a substantive conditions of practice order originally imposed for 18 months on 19 October 2021. The panel noted that Mrs Okwaraji had engaged with the proceedings, attended the hearing and made oral submissions, and that she had provided multiple online training certificates and reported a job offer as a Healthcare Assistant. However, the offer was not supported by evidence from the prospective employer, she had not yet started the role, and the panel found there was no evidence of a tailored and considered application process and no evidence of strengthened practice under the conditions of the order as a nurse. It held that the evidential burden lay on her to persuade it that her fitness to practise was no longer impaired, and that she had not discharged it. The panel determined that a finding of continuing impairment was necessary on both public protection and public interest grounds. At sanction, it was not satisfied that extending the conditions of practice order would result in meaningful progress within a reasonable timescale, and concluded that a suspension order would simply delay matters without any realistic prospect of remediation. Having regard to sanctions guidance SAN-2e, and after more than four years of regulatory restrictions and five review hearings, the panel concluded that the continued inability to demonstrate safe and effective practice raised fundamental concerns about professionalism and that the only sanction that would adequately protect the public and serve the public interest was a striking-off order. Applying guidance REV-2c, the panel declined to make the order immediate, and it will take effect on the expiry of the current conditions of practice order on 17 August 2026.
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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