Staff
Lindsey Coyle, the nurse who pleaded guilty to a charge of Criminal Negligence Causing Death in the death of Hermina Fletcher in November of 2022, will be facing the College of Nurses of Ontario next month.
Coyle served less than one year of her two year sentence in the Grand Valley Institution for Women before being released on parole in a decision made about one year ago in August.
According to the agreed statement of facts from the plea, in January 2014, Coyle altered Fletcher’s medical records in order to obtain opiates then failed to reduce the amount in her chart leading to what a medical examiner says on the balance of probabilities was a death caused by “acute morphine toxicity.”
Coyle surrendered her nursing license voluntarily in January, 2016 however the hearing will determine whether Coyle could ever have a future in the nursing profession again.
A Notice of Hearing posted to the College of Nurses of Ontario website lists three allegations which are considered ‘acts of professional misconduct.’ The violations are: abuse of a patient verbally, physically, and/or emotionally, falsifying a record relating to practice and that she engaged in conduct or performed an act, relevant to the practice of nursing, that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional.
Each allegation ties the violations to the alteration of Hermina Fletcher’s chart leading to her death by Morphine overdose.
Though Coyle has surrendered her nursing license, there are potential consequences she faces from the board.
“Where the panel of the Discipline Committee finds a member has committed an act of professional misconduct, it may make an Order doing any one or more of the following:
1. directing the Registrar to revoke the member’s certificate of registration;
2. directing the Registrar to suspend the member’s certificate of registration for a specified period of time;
3. directing the Registrar to impose specified terms, conditions and limitations on the member’s certificate of registration for a specified or indefinite period of time;
4. requiring the member to appear before the panel to be reprimanded;
5. requiring the member to pay a fine of not more than $35,000.00 to the Minister of Finance;
6. requiring the member to reimburse CNO for funding provided for a program of therapy and counselling for a person if the act of professional misconduct was the sexual abuse of that person; and
7. requiring the member to post security acceptable to CNO to guarantee the payment of any amounts the member may be required to reimburse CNO for a program of therapy and counselling for a person who was sexually abused by the member.”
Coyle may also be required to cover the legal costs of the College incurred while investigating and holding a hearing etc.
The hearing will be held virtually on Aug. 21. The Fort Frances Times has requested access.
