Nursing and Midwifery Council determination — substantive hearing
NMC panel suspends nurse Hannah Forbes for six months over bullying of colleagues
A Nursing and Midwifery Council panel has suspended learning disabilities nurse Hannah Elaine Forbes for six months, finding she bullied and demeaned colleagues at a Warwickshire hospice and made an inappropriate remark about caring for a patient with HIV.
MedicWatch editorial · Published 7 July 2026 · Updated 11 July 2026
Suspension (suspended from practice) — 6 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 Hannah Elaine Forbes, nurse (Nursing and Midwifery Council 09I0149S).
Decision date: 7 July 2026 · Hearing started 29 June 2026 and ended 7 July 2026
In plain English
The NMC's Fitness to Practise Committee found that Hannah Elaine Forbes, a learning disabilities nurse who worked as a team lead at Mary Ann Evans Hospice in Warwickshire, bullied and demeaned colleagues and made an inappropriate remark about the care of a patient with HIV. The panel found her fitness to practise impaired and suspended her for six months with a review, imposing an 18-month interim suspension order pending any appeal.
Charges
While employed as a Team Lead by Mary Ann Evans Hospice between 2021 and 2023, Miss Forbes was charged with failing to appropriately support a colleague, failing to communicate appropriately with a colleague, failing to behave appropriately towards colleagues and/or members of the public, conduct amounting to bullying, harassing and/or intimidating behaviour, stating 'do not drink his blood' in response to questions relating to the care of a patient with HIV, discriminatory conduct, showing preferential treatment to colleagues, and creating a hostile working culture. Charges 1(b), 1(c), 1(d), 1(e), 3(a), 3(e), 4 and 5 were found proved; charges 1(a), 1(f), 1(g), 2, 3(b), 3(c), 3(d), 6, 7 and 8 were found not proved.
Findings
The panel found that Miss Forbes did not explain her role to a new colleague, told her 'I'm not your mentor, I'm your line manager' in an aggressive tone, did not engage her in conversation and did not provide assistance in relation to patient welfare; mocked a colleague who had approached her with a concern; stated that Senior Care Support Workers were 'only SCSWs' in a demeaning manner; that her conduct amounted to bullying; and that she stated 'do not drink his blood' regarding the care of a patient with HIV. It determined the conduct in charges 1(c), 1(d), 1(e), 3(a), 3(e), 4 and 5 amounted to serious misconduct, and found her fitness to practise currently impaired on grounds of both public protection and the public interest, citing limited insight and a risk of repetition. The charge of discrimination was found not proved.
Mitigating and aggravating factors
Mitigating factors
Engagement and openness during the local investigation; remorse and acceptance that behaviour was below standards expected; additional work pressures; new to leadership in the Band 6 nursing role with limited support in the workplace due to managerial attrition and turnover; two years working as a registered nurse since the concerns arose with no formal concerns raised about her safety and capability and being promoted into a leadership role; difficult personal circumstances.
Aggravating factors
Abuse of a position of trust as a registered nurse in a senior position; a pattern of misconduct over a period of time; failure to attend the hearing without good reason; limited insight; failure to work collaboratively; risk of future harm.
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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