22 Sept 2025
The veterinary nurse fell asleep at her post and falsified records to suggest she had been monitoring the hospitalised dogs.
Vet Times
Job Title
Image: RCVS.
A west midlands-based RVN has been suspended from the RCVS register for six months after she admitted charges related to leaving hospitalised animals unattended and falsifying clinical records.
Julie Hickman admitted to all five charges brought against her; three of them related to a period of more than three hours on 8 November 2022, in which she left three dogs unattended.
Miss Hickman admitted to falsifying clinical records to indicate she had carried out clinical checks on the dogs and offered them water during that period, when in fact she had fallen asleep.
The nurse left cavalier King Charles spaniel Rosie and English bull terrier Billie – both of which had undergone surgery the day before – as well as crossbreed Stitch, being monitored for seizures, unattended between 1:05am and 4:23am.
The fourth charge was that leaving them unattended and falsifying the records was potentially detrimental to animal welfare, and the fifth charge was that the latter was dishonest and misleading.
Miss Hickman was working a 13-hour night shift at Black’s Veterinary Hospital in Dudley when the incident occurred, and she was the only veterinary professional present at the hospital throughout the night.
The RVN contacted the on-call veterinary surgeon at around 4:30am with concerns regarding Rosie’s breathing and claimed she had returned from her break to find the dog in that state.
Despite an emergency tracheotomy, the dog was subsequently euthanised the following day after her condition continued to deteriorate, although the college did not allege any failure on Miss Hickman’s part caused the dog’s death.
Disciplinary committee chair Kathryn Peaty said: “The committee was in no doubt that the respondent’s failure to monitor properly three patients in an overnight ward in a hospital and the subsequent creation of false records to suggest that appropriate monitoring had taken place amounts to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.”
Aggravating factors considered were that it was a case of dishonesty, which was not admitted to the RCVS at an early stage, and that her conduct posed a risk of injury to the animals and a breach of trust toward their owners.
In mitigation, the committee heard that Miss Hickman had an adverse health condition that contributed to her unintentionally falling asleep, and her remorse over the incident and the impact it could have on public trust in the VN profession.
It also considered positive employer testimonials, her previously unblemished career and that there was no longer any risk of repetition.
Dr Peaty added: “The committee was satisfied that a significant period of suspension would properly reflect the gravity of the respondent’s disgraceful conduct, serve to maintain the reputation of the profession and promote and maintain proper standards of conduct.
“The committee considered that a period of suspension of six months was sufficient to satisfy this public interest.”
