Darren Snow in Pro Bono success at the NMC

Darren Snow recently represented a nurse before the Nursing & Midwifery Council in fitness to practice proceedings concerning potentially career ending allegations of patient abuse, dishonesty and multiple clinical failures at a care home involving several patients, one of whom had died and been the subject of neglect allegations by the family.

Darren acted pro bono, instructed by Advocate. The allegations went back several years and until Darren’s involvement the nurse had been a litigant in person with no legal advice or support at all.  The nurse had continued to work with new employers in the interim without any interim order in place.

Darren was able to get a substantial amount of highly prejudicial material excluded from the hearing including evidence from an inquest and police investigation – all accepted by the NMC to be inadmissible despite their initial attempts to rely upon it in the proceedings. At the hearing Darren’s submissions led to all charges of patient abuse and dishonesty being dismissed. Limited findings on separate charges were made by the Panel in respect of clinical failures leading to a 1-year caution order being imposed.

In feedback to Advocate the nurse said of Darren “I would particularly like to thank Darren Snow, without his legal knowledge I would not have got through it”

Darren Snow is ranked in the Legal 500 as a leading junior in professional discipline work. He has a wealth of experience successfully defending nurses and midwives at the NMC and regularly acts for the RCN and other defence organisations.

For further information on Libertas’s Professional Disciplinary and Pro Bono work please contact our clerks.