A nurse who put a patients glass eye in a colleagues drink as a practical joke was today struck off.

Christine Mitchelson, 53, was found guilty of misconduct after the Nursing and Midwifery Councils Conduct and Competence Committee ruled that 12 allegations against her were all proved.

The nurse, from Newcastle, was also found to have drawn a smiley face on a patients hernia and to have made racist remarks about Filipina nurses.

Committee chairman Val Morrison said Mitchelson posed a continuing risk to patients and leaving her on the nursing register would undermine public confidence and trust in the profession.

She added: The charges involved putting patients at risk, dishonesty, the falsification of records and the encouragement of healthcare assistants to adopt her practice in falsifying records, unsafe practice and unprofessional behaviour towards colleagues.

The committee ruled that Mitchelson had compromised the dignity of her patients at Newcastles Royal Victoria Infirmary with her behaviour between late 2001 and early 2004.

The nurse could have put a patient with MRSA at risk by drawing a face on his hernia and committed a dangerous breach of her duty of care by incorrectly administering drugs, the committee also found.

Mitchelson was also found to have roughly treated five different patients by pushing them on to a bed or chair and in one case slapping one on the head.

Mrs Morrison added that the nurses actions in recording invented temperature and blood pressure readings on patients charts were unsafe, dishonest and a failure of her duty of care.

The hearing in London was told that Mitchelson gave her colleague Pauline Stanton, the sister on her ward, a cup of cola containing a patients glass eye between March 2001 and May 2002.

The nurse claimed she had sought the patients permission to take the false eye for a practical joke and had washed it before putting it in the drink, the committee heard.

Piers Arnold, representing the NMC, said the allegations came to light in February 2004, when a healthcare assistant named Denise Lake made a complaint about Mitchelson.

An investigation was launched and numerous allegations against her were made by other nurses and healthcare assistants on her ward.

Ms Lake earlier told the hearing that Mitchelson used to joke about having a magic pen which she used to fill in patients charts without checking their observations.

She said: She thought it was funny. She used to laugh about it. She would say: Im just using the magic pen.

Ms Lake alleged that Mitchelson asked her and other healthcare assistants to follow her practice in recording patients observations without actually carrying out the checks to save time.

Patricia Hodkinson, personnel officer for Newcastle Hospitals Trust, told the hearing Mitchelson had joined the hospital in October 1999.

The nurse was suspended in March 2004 after the allegations came to light and she resigned two months later before a disciplinary hearing could be held.

Mitchelson found a new job with the Stephenson Court care home in Newcastle but was soon dismissed when Royal Victoria Infirmary management wrote an alert letter warning of serious concerns about her conduct.