A senior sister at a Cobham nursing home was struck off after multiple serious failings, including telling a patient "I hope I don't get fat like you when I get to your age".

Maria Thippadu was dismissed from her job at St George's Nursing Home in November 2012, after a number of allegations against her came to light following an investigation into another staff member at the home.

The 14 allegations against Mrs Thippadu were referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and 12 were proved as facts after a three day hearing from November 18 to 20.

Mrs Thippadu failed to ensure adequate staff were allocated to various wings in the home, inappropriately delegated her duties to other members of staff and failed to provide adequate support to colleagues, the hearing found.

She also failed to respond appropriately when "resident A's" daughter asked her to call an ambulance, said to the daughter "I am never going to take to you again" and did not ensure "resident B" was nursed on a one-to-one basis.

The NMC panel, chaired by Gerard Kennedy, also heard how Mrs Thippadu said to another resident "I hope I don't get fat like you when I get to your age".

In reaching its decision, the panel said Mrs Thippadu's actions fell "significantly short of the standards expected" and she breached the "fundamental tenets of the profession".

In their report, the panel said: "The charges found proved demonstrate wide ranging and serious failings by the registrant.

"The public rightly expect that nurses should provide a high standard of care at all times - Mrs Thippadu’s actions put patients at the risk of harm."

The panel concluded that Mrs Thippadu’s conduct brought the profession into disrepute and deemed there was a risk of repetition and it was therefore necessary to impose a striking off order.

A spokesman for the nursing home said: "We thoroughly investigated this nurse’s behaviour over two years ago, dismissed her, and reported her to the NMC. Our residents’ welfare is always our number one priority."

Mrs Thippadu was not present and not represented at the hearing.