A “DEPLORABLE” nurse sacked from Colchester General Hospital responded by applying for TEN jobs at the same health trust.

Carol Thorington, who was being investigated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council after being dismissed, even lied on the application forms, denying she had ever been subject of disciplinary proceedings.

The neonatal outreach nurse was dismissed by the Turner Road hospital in January last year after an external investigation.

A previous internal investigation had resulted in her being ordered to undergo a period of supervision, during which she wrongly continued to act independently on a number of occasions.

An NMC panel, which sat for more than week, found Miss Thorington guilty of failing to disclose she was under investigation and made the her the subject of a 12-month suspension order.

Its reported stated: “The panel considered that registered nurses would find your actions in this instance deplorable.

“The panel is of the view that there is a risk of repetition based on your limited insight and lack of remorse or remediation.

“The panel therefore decided that a finding of impairment was necessary on the grounds of public protection.”

It added: “The panel was in no doubt that your actions brought the profession into disrepute and would undermine public confidence in the profession.

“In consequence, and in addition, the wider public interest would be undermined if a finding of current impairment was not made.”

Miss Thorington also faced a number of other charges.

She was alleged to have told a new mum who had given birth through a caesarean section: “You don’t want to be

walking around stinking of fish.”

She also faced an allegation of telling a mum whose baby was born with Downs Syndrome: “People will think your child is a helpless mongrel.”

Neither were found to be proven.

Miss Thorington did admit not demonstrating the required skills when placing Nasogastric - baby feeding - tubes and not providing parents with suitable feeding advice as well as altering a baby’s original medical notes.

The nurse has 28-days in which to appeal the suspension order.

At the end of the 12-month period an NMC panel will review the order.

Prior to Miss Thorington starting work as a neonatal outreach nurse, she worked as a Band 5 staff nurse at the same hospital.

During the hearing, the panel found Miss Thorington was “generally credible and reliable”.

Colchester General Hospital bosses declined to comment on the case.