Margaret Haywood said she was convinced she did the right thing

A nurse who was struck off the register for secretly filming care for the elderly at a Brighton hospital has been nominated for a national award.

Margaret Haywood, 58, from Liverpool, has been shortlisted for the Nursing Standard’s Patient’s Choice Award.

She filmed at the Royal Sussex County Hospital for the BBC’s Panorama in 2005, which showed examples of neglect.

In April she was found guilty of misconduct at a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) disciplinary hearing.

Ms Haywood is currently appealing the decision to the NMC.

Jennifer Price, of East Grinstead, who nominated the nurse, said: “Ms Haywood felt so strongly about the standards of care she was witnessing [she] put her job on the line.

‘Treated harshly’

“In nominating Ms Haywood I would like to help send the message to the NMC that they are out of touch with the wishes of the public they deem to protect.”

The NMC said it would not be commenting, as Ms Haywood’s case was the subject of an appeal.

Footage from Ms Haywood’s filming showed examples of neglect, including an elderly patient sitting in clothes he had soiled the night before.

Following her misconduct hearing in April, the NMC panel said she had “followed the behest of the filmmakers…rather than her obligations as a nurse”.

Ms Haywood, who had been a nurse for more than 20 years, said she thought she had been treated harshly and had put patients first.

The four other people nominated for the Patient’s Choice Award include a health visitor from Merseyside, a paediatric nurse from County Antrim, Northern Ireland, a psychiatric nurse from Bristol and a mental health nurse from North London.