A NURSE has been given a caution after a great grandfather was given a day's worth of drugs in just over an hour, which "significantly" contributed to his death.

Mary Sanchez was a staff nurse at Whiston Hospital when Colin Whalley was admitted with breathing problems in November 2011.

At a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council she admitted failing to administer the correct dose of aminophylline to Mr Whalley over 24 hours.

Mr Whalley, 68, from Dentons Green, died three days later.

A panel at the hearing in London said her actions "fell seriously short of the standards expected of a registered nurse and amounted to misconduct". They also said they accepted the fact that she had "expressed genuine remorse" and had apologised to Mr Whalley's family.

However they went on to say that they were not entirely satisfied that she fully understood what errors she made and exactly what went wrong.

Ms Sanchez, who has continued to work for the trust over the last four years, was given a caution order for a year but the panel ruled she was still able to practise as a nurse.

They were satisfied that there was "clear and undeniable evidence" of her insight and reflection of what was lacking in her judgement and had done everything possible to address her failings.

She had also undergone comprehensive training since the incident.

The panel said they were confident that she did not pose a risk to patients but determined a caution order would be "sufficient to maintain public confidence". This means that any prospective employer will be able to see that her fitness to practise was impaired. After a year this notice will be removed.

Her colleague Carmel Pendleton, who was the "second checker", was accused of failing to ensure that the medication would be properly administered over the 24 hour period.

She admitted misconduct but the panel concluded that her fitness to practise currently was not impaired.

While they said her actions fell short of the standards expected of a registered nurse, they were satisfied that she had "fully reflected on her failing" in this incident and demonstrated a "high level of insight".

Speaking after the tragedy Mr Whalley's widow Norma said: "“He was the heart of our family, now that heart is broken. I feel there’s only half of me left.”