A NURSE branded a danger after giving patients the wrong jags was yesterday struck off the register.

William Smith, 59, who admitted a catalogue of errors, did not appear at the hearing in Edinburgh.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing was told Smith, who was working as an agency nurse at Vale of Leven Hospital, Dunbartonshire, failed to record a patient's food and penicillin allergies.

Miss B was off work for six months after having a severe reaction when he gave her penicillin.

Smith injected the same woman with a vaccine in the wrong part of her arm, leaving her scarred.

And he gave both her and a second patient, Miss A, a TB vaccine instead of a test for immunity to the disease.

Yesterday, Smith, whose last known address in Scotland was in Westwood, East Kilbride, was found guilty of misconduct after admitting six charges relating to his treatment of the patients. The hearing was told he has since emigrated to Florida.

His solicitor, Yvonne Masson, said he was working as a nurse aide at a residential home for the elderly.

She said the position was similar to that of a care assistant in the UK and Smith would not be responsible for the medical care of residents.

She said: "He would like it to be known he very much regrets the effect these errors had on the individuals concerned and he has not forgotten the pain he caused."

She said Smith had been left to attend the two female patients unsupervised because the occupational health nurse in charge of their care was off sick following a road accident.

Disciplinary hearing chairwoman Elizabeth Rush said Smith was a danger. She said: "He has not shown any evidence of keeping his skills up to date in line with modern practice. We are removing his name from the register to protect the public."