Incidentcase87

Rachael Hird was raiding the drug cupboard on two nursing wards.

The National Health Service (NHS) trust reported the missing medication to police, who searched Hird’s home and found the UV-marked codeine in her make-up bag.

A disciplinary panel ruled that she had repeatedly taken codeine from the hospital between July and September 2017.

A report of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing also said Hird had attempted to obtain Dihydrocodeine and Naproxen from a GP surgery in Consett through a prescription which was not hers.

The hearing was told the charges arose whilst Hird was employed as a Bank Nurse by the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust working on Ward 13 and Ward 6 at the University Hospital of North Durham, with a permanent position in the Accident and Emergency department.

“At the police interview on 17 November 2017 Miss Hird admitted to the following:

– On Thursday 17 August 2017 between 08.30hrs and 16.30hrs stealing one box of 28 x 30mg codeine tablets;
– Between 07.10rs on Monday 28 August 2017 and 10.00hrs Tuesday 29 August 2017 stealing 1 box of 28 x 30mg codeine tablets;
– Stealing the codeine that was marked with UV pen overnight between 26 September 2017 and 27 September 2017;
– Using another person’s details six to eight times to get prescriptions including on 22 October 2017.”

The report noted that during a disciplinary interview with the Trust on December 14 2017, Hird stated: “I know what I have done is wrong and I am just sorry that I have let the Trust down and my managers. I made a big mistake and I am sorry for that.”

But the panel ruled that she should be barred from the profession permanently after finding “her actions would be regarded as deplorable and unacceptable by members of the public and fellow members of the nursing profession”.