A senior nurse has been suspended from practising after she authorised the forced injection of a vulnerable care home resident with a Covid-19 vaccine, in what has been described as a “horrific” breach of care standards.
Janette Donnelly, then the Service Manager at Millport Care Centre—run by Sanctuary Care—was the subject of a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing that confirmed several allegations surrounding the 2021 incident.
The shocking event was initially reported by The Daily Record after a whistleblower expressed fears that the matter would be “hushed up”.
The staff member who reported the incident revealed that the distressed resident was forcibly restrained and injected through her clothing, despite visibly resisting.
“The nurse on-site said she wasn’t comfortable administering the injection like that, but was pressured to ‘just hurry up and do it’. She seemed intimidated,” the whistleblower stated.
Resident Held Down and Injected Against Will
The resident in question had complex needs, including a learning disability and Bipolar Affective Disorder.
Though limited restraint was permitted under care protocols for essential interventions—such as feeding or hygiene—the NMC determined that the use of force in this case was unjustified.
They also noted there was no medical urgency to administer the Covid vaccine on that particular day.
The incident prompted an inspection by the Care Inspectorate, which issued an improvement notice on 2 April 2021.
It cited failings in managing distressed behaviour and raised concerns about staff conduct and the failure to report incidents appropriately.
Nine-Month Interim Suspension for Senior Nurse
As a result of the NMC’s findings, Donnelly has received a nine-month interim suspension while the council continues to assess whether she is fit to remain on the nursing register.
During the hearing, it emerged that an NHS nurse had visited the care home to administer vaccinations.
Donnelly, however, was held responsible for the decision to restrain the resident and proceed with the injection under force, in direct violation of professional care standards.
The NMC concluded that the incident posed a significant risk to the resident’s wellbeing and demonstrated serious lapses in professional judgement and safeguarding.
