Hospice Nurse Removed from Register Following Serious Misconduct Findings
A hospice nurse who placed a callous bet with colleagues that a terminally ill patient would die on Christmas Day has been struck off the nursing register following a disciplinary tribunal. Naomi Butcher, 60, from Burgess Hill in West Sussex, committed multiple serious breaches of professional standards while working at St Peter and St James Hospice in Lewes, East Sussex.
Discriminatory Comments and Medication Errors
The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Fitness to Practice Committee heard that Butcher made discriminatory remarks about a traveler family seeking to visit their deceased loved one in March 2024. She told colleagues the relatives "would stay for hours because they are gypsies" and falsely claimed the traveler community "burn their bodies in caravans when they die."
The tribunal panel found these comments to be "discriminatory, unacceptable, degrading and unprofessional" and determined that her refusal to allow the family to visit caused them "emotional and psychological distress."
On the same day as this incident, Butcher administered a potentially lethal overdose of medication to a male patient. She gave 50mg of Midazolam—a powerful benzodiazepine used for sedation—instead of the prescribed 5mg dose, then falsely documented administering the correct amount.
Pattern of Medication Mismanagement
The committee heard evidence of multiple medication errors during Butcher's employment at the hospice, which specializes in providing "compassionate care" for people with life-limiting illnesses. These included:
- Giving oxycodone instead of morphine sulphate to a patient
- Failing to administer medication when required
- Administering incorrect doses of medication
- Leaving a patient in pain by not providing a full oxycodone dose
- Failing to properly check in a box of morphine sulphate tablets to the drug control cupboard
Christmas Day Death Bet and Professional Consequences
In December 2023, Butcher made what the tribunal described as a "deplorable" bet with colleagues, stating: "I make a bet with all of you that he will die on Christmas Day" regarding a hospice patient.
Kelly Viner, a colleague who witnessed Butcher's discriminatory comments about the traveler family, reported the incident the following day. Viner testified: "Until the incident on 12 March 2024, I have never come across a situation where a family was turned down from seeing their loved one."
The hospice attempted to address Butcher's medication errors in March 2024 but she resigned six days after receiving a warning email and went on sick leave. St Peter and St James Hospice subsequently referred her conduct to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Defense and Final Ruling
Butcher admitted most allegations but disputed the specific claim about "burning bodies in caravans." She did not attend the hearing to contest this allegation, which was found proven based on witness testimony.
In comments to the Daily Mail, Butcher stated she is now disabled and claimed: "I requested twice to self-removal from the register. They refused because they wanted to strike me off. I should never have gone back to acute nursing and family issues meant mistakes happened."
The tribunal determined Butcher had "not taken any steps to address the concerns raised in relation to her clinical practice" and found her fitness to practice impaired. She will be formally struck off after a 28-day appeal period, having not worked in frontline care since leaving the hospice.
The panel concluded her actions represented "an extremely serious breach of fundamental standards of professional conduct and behavior that a registered nurse is expected to maintain" and would be viewed as "deplorable" by fellow professionals.
