A WIRRAL nurse who was suspended for “bringing the profession into disrepute” after she tied a pair of tights around a dead patient’s jaw has been allowed to return to the profession.

Florenda Quilty worked at St George’s Care Home in Liscard before being suspended from nursing for four months in 2014.

It came after she tied a pair of tights around a dead resident’s head to stop her jaw from falling open.

But Ms Quilty – whose ban was later extended for a further six months – will now be allowed to return to nursing after the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)’s misconduct panel ruled she has “shown insight into her failings and the gravity of the misconduct”.

Ms Quilty’s suspension came after she was found guilty of tying a pair of tights around a dead resident’s jaw in a bid to stop her jaw from falling open on December 7, 2010.

The NMC said she had failed to treat the dead body with dignity.

She was also found guilty of preventing a doctor from seeing the patient’s medical records when he attended the Liscard home to confirm the death.

Ms Quilty also demanded the doctor leave the home, before calling the police when he refused to do so.

At the time, the NMC panel considered that “tying a pair of tights around a deceased resident’s head, regardless of the good intentions behind the action, was inappropriate care”.

The NMC’s Conduct and Competence Committee met again on August 7 to discuss Ms Quilty’s case after receiving a letter from her pleading to be allowed back into nursing.

Ms Quilty said she had experienced “extremely difficult” times over the last year, including bullying via social media, the loss of jobs, financial stress and the death of a close family member.

In her letter, Ms Quilty said she has since managed to obtain some work as a trainer/educator on health and social care.

She said: “I feel that I have a lot to offer with my 27 years as a nurse and two years prior to that as a healthcare assistant.

“I would therefore like to plead with you to allow me to re-register with the NMC as a nurse educator and assessor. This will enable me to continue to pass on my knowledge and experiences to others.

“I am truly sorry for the events that took place that night and my confrontation with the doctor on call and I know now that I could have and indeed should have dealt with it better.”

Ms Quilty added: “I desperately want to re-gain entry on the NMC register and gain respect from my fellow healthcare professionals.”

Following last week’s hearing, the panel said it considered that the period of Ms Quilty’s suspension “has sufficiently marked her conduct as inappropriate and has satisfied the public interest in this case.”