Experienced nurse who delayed cervical cancer smear tests is struck off

Experienced nurse who delayed cervical cancer smear tests then falsified records to claim they had been carried out is struck off for her ‘deplorable’ actions

  • Karen Boyle delayed smear tests, lied about doing others and falsified records
  • Inquiry looked at 35 patients treated by her from January 2016 to February 2018
  • Struck off the register for her ‘deplorable’ actions over ‘sustained’ period of time 

An experienced nurse who delayed cervical cancer smear tests and falsified medical records to show they had been carried out has been struck off for her ‘deplorable’ actions.

Karen Boyle repeatedly delayed smear tests, lied about doing others and falsified records on patients treated at the Strathcalder Practice in the Alison Lea Medical Centre, East Kilbride.

An inquiry looked at 35 patients treated by the nurse between January 2016 and February last year.

Karen Boyle repeatedly delayed smear tests, falsified records and lied about carrying out tests on patients treated at the Strathcalder Practice in the Alison Lea Medical Centre (file pic) 

In the case of 16 women, clinical records were logged suggesting a smear had been taken, ‘but no result was subsequently identified’.

The inquiry concluded that the tests had either not been sent or had been labelled incorrectly and were not identifiable.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said the nurse’s actions were ‘deplorable’ and had put women at risk by potentially ‘delaying detecting precancerous cells’.

The motivation for Boyle’s behaviour is not clear from records released by the inquiry.  

In one incident a patient turned up for a smear but left the surgery before it was carried out.

The nurse recorded that she had carried out the test and falsified clinical results.

In another case, a woman attended for a postnatal smear test but was told to return 12 weeks later. Her records were updated saying the procedure had been carried out.

Women were also put through the stress of repeat smear tests because they were told that ‘insufficient cells’ had been obtained to give an accurate result.

However, an inquiry found the nurse had not actually sent the tests to the laboratory.

It is also standard procedure for the lab to contact a patient directly if the test has to be re-done.

The practice nurse resigned on February 8 last year after a full investigation was launched by a consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHS Lanarkshire.

The nurse was struck off the register at a recent hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

An inquiry looked at 35 patients treated by the nurse between January 2016 and February last year. File photo of a nurse

 An inquiry looked at 35 patients treated by the nurse between January 2016 and February last year. File photo of a nurse 

Prior to joining the practice in 2016, Mrs Boyle had previously worked at a practice in Greater Glasgow area for 14 years.

A report from the inquiry said: ‘Mrs Boyle had given the misleading explanations that insufficient cells had been taken on the patients’ first smears and therefore the tests had to be repeated.

‘Instead of being honest and transparent with the patients, she fabricated a reason for recalling the patients.’

Mrs Boyle was said to be an experienced tester, ‘who would be familiar with the correct procedures, guidance and policies in relation to smear taking’.

The NMC said: ‘Mrs Boyle’s actions were not isolated, but represented a repeated and systematic course of conduct, over a period of time.

‘The panel determined that fellow professionals would consider Mrs Boyle’s actions in relation to the charges found proved, deplorable.’

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