The Nursing and Midwifery Council has found Suffolk nurse Louise Woodgate posed a "significant risk of harm" after repeated clinical and professional failings during her six-month probation with Homelink Healthcare. Failings included unsafe IV and medication handling, persistent infection-control breaches, poor communication and dishonesty about a respiratory check. The panel described the conduct as at the "higher end of the scale of seriousness" and ruled she will be struck off after 18 months unless she successfully appeals.
Nurse Dismissed During Probation Found to Pose 'Significant Risk' — Faces Strike-Off
Woodgate worked for Homelink Healthcare Ltd, which provided services for the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [Andrew Turner/BBC]
Louise Woodgate, a community nurse from Suffolk employed by Homelink Healthcare Ltd in October 2022, was dismissed during her six-month probation in April 2023 after a regulatory panel found multiple serious failings that posed a risk to patients.
Panel Findings
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) concluded that Woodgate demonstrated repeated clinical and professional shortcomings, including:
- Poor medication knowledge and unsafe IV practice — she was reported to be unable to correct a non-dripping infusion bag and attempted to connect a Ceftriaxone syringe that contained air.
- Persistent infection-control breaches — failing to clean equipment, omitting hand hygiene, not maintaining a sterile field and not changing gloves between sterile and non-sterile tasks.
- Deficient communication and empathy — failing to explain procedures to patients, appearing 'rude and awkward', and showing a lack of compassion when delivering distressing news.
- Dishonesty — falsely reporting a patient's respiratory rate and asking a colleague not to disclose that the check had not been carried out.
The panel said the dishonesty may indicate a "deep-seated attitudinal issue" and described the misconduct as being at the "higher end of the scale of seriousness." It concluded that the pattern of conduct posed a real risk of harm to patients.
"Your actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse and are fundamentally incompatible with you remaining on the register," the NMC said.
Outcome And Next Steps
The NMC has decided Woodgate will be removed from the nursing register unless she successfully appeals; the strike-off will take effect after an 18-month period, giving her the opportunity to contest the decision. The regulator said the public must be protected from practitioners whose sustained failings risk patient safety.
Homelink is a private provider that supplies at-home clinical services on behalf of hospitals, including James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Its services include IV medication administration, home observations, virtual ward support and tailored care packages.
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