Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — review hearing
NMC panel orders striking-off for nurse Valerie Howard over medication competence failings
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Fitness to Practise Committee has ordered that nurse Valerie Jean Howard be struck off, finding she had not engaged with the regulator or shown insight into medication errors. The order takes effect on 21 September 2026.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 28 July 2026 · Updated 30 July 2026
Erasure (struck off the register)
Added to MedicWatch: 30 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 Valerie Jean Howard, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 09L0384E).
Decision date: 28 July 2026 · Hearing started 28 July 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee reviewed a 12-month suspension order imposed on registered nurse Valerie Jean Howard, whose fitness to practise was found impaired by reason of lack of competence following medication errors between 2016 and 2019. The panel found she had not engaged with the NMC and had provided no evidence of insight or strengthened practice. It decided to make a striking-off order, taking effect at the end of 21 September 2026.
Charges
The charges found proved which resulted in the substantive order were that, between 18 February 2016 and 22 March 2019, Ms Howard failed to demonstrate the standards of knowledge, skills and judgement required to practise without supervision as a band 5 nurse in that she: on or around 19 February 2016 administered medication, namely Lorazepam, to the wrong patient; on or around 28/29 August 2016 failed to attend the patient's bedside when acting as a second checker for intravenous medication, namely Flucloxacillin; on or around 1 September 2016 administered intravenous fluids/medication which was not prescribed; on 1 April 2017 administered the incorrect medication to Patient C, namely 20mg of immediate release Oxycodone instead of the prescribed 20mg prolonged release Oxycodone, and made that medication error whilst subject to a first written warning for capability; and on 21 March 2019 administered an incorrect dose of medication, namely 7mg of Warfarin to Patient A. In light of the above, her fitness to practise was impaired by reason of her lack of competence.
Findings
This was the fourth review of a substantive order originally imposed as a 12-month conditions of practice order on 24 August 2023, extended twice and then replaced with a 12-month suspension order on 17 September 2025. The panel noted that Ms Howard had not engaged with the NMC and had provided no evidence of relevant training, strengthened practice or reflective work, and considered that this lack of engagement demonstrated an absence of insight. It determined she remained liable to repeat matters of the kind found proved and found her fitness to practise remains impaired on both public protection and public interest grounds. On sanction, the panel concluded that no workable conditions could be formulated and that a further period of suspension offered no realistic prospect of meaningful remediation. It considered allowing the order to lapse with a finding of impairment under guidance REV-2h but decided this was not appropriate given her complete lack of engagement. It determined that a striking-off order was the only sanction that would adequately protect the public and uphold proper professional standards.
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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