A DIETICIAN at Whipps Cross University Hospital has been struck off by her professional body after falsifying a 96-year-old patient's records.

Lorraine Lewis destroyed a page and replaced it with an amended one.

The Health Professions Council (HPC) heard that she had made recommendations in April and May 2006 over tube feeding the patient through the gastrointestinal tract despite a medical decision to stop feeds.

In an interview, Mrs Lewis's admitted destroying a dietary record card for the patient, identified only by the initials KC, and that she admitted substituting a fresh card containing a traced copy of a colleague's prior entry. She had also admitted amending her own entry.

In a decision just published, the HPC says : "In addition to this admission, the colleague had when interviewed confirmed that her apparent entry had been traced."

Striking her off, the disciplinary panel chairwoman Clare Reggiori said : "The panel is satisfied that she knew that records should not be treated in this way and that if, as she maintained when interviewed, she made an error, she should cross this out on the existing card.

"It was satisfied that these matters were too serious for no further action to be taken or for a caution order to be appropriate."

Ruling out the possibility of imposing conditions which would allow Lewis to continue practicing, she said the panel also felt that suspension was "insufficient given the seriousness of the misconduct."

Ms Reggiori wrote: "Altering the notes, for whatever reason, was dishonest..

"Mrs Lewis knew the correct procedure and deliberately ignored it. Maintaining the integrity of patients' records is vital. Any deliberate falsification of records is a serious matter, and compromises public trust in the profession.

"Furthermore, Mrs. Lewis has at no stage given any indication that she is able to recognise or address her failings."

A decision had been made to stop naso-gastric feeds and to give "tender loving care with no further escalatory treatment", the panel found.

Mrs Lewis "positively asserted" that the notes did not contain that entry. She stated when interviewed that she had not seen that.