foolsgold
Bluelighter
A NURSE has been sacked for stealing and forging prescriptions so that she could get drugs for herself.
Kirstie Freeman, a senior nurse at Derriford Hospital's Accident and Emergency department, used the names of patients aged over 60 so she would not have to pay for them.
Freeman, aged 40, fraudulently gained drugs including Valium on 17 occasions, Plymouth Crown Court heard.
Freeman was sacked and faces disciplinary action to ban her from working as a nurse again. She has already been handed an interim suspension by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Judge Paul Darlow said: "It was a gross breach of trust. You have consigned to the dustbin 16 years of working as a nurse."
The court heard that Freeman was prescribed the drugs for chronic pain syndrome.
Freeman, of Vapron Road, Mannamead, admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one of theft between January 2010 and March 2013.
She also pleaded guilty to possession of a small amount of cannabis.
Freeman was jailed for 32 weeks, suspended for two years. She must pay the NHS £4,800 to cover the cost of the investigation and another £510 towards Crown Prosecution Service costs.
Alistair Verheijen, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Derriford Hospital held a review and found a large amount of diazepam, the chemical name for Valium, and the painkiller Co-codamol had been prescribed.
He added staff requested that pharmacies return their prescriptions for the drugs.
Mr Verheijen said one patient supposedly prescribed drugs in the Accident and Emergency department had already been moved to another ward.
He added a doctor who had apparently signed another prescription was no longer working at the hospital.
Mr Verheijen said several prescriptions, for Valium, Co-codamol and the anti-depressant Amitriptyline, were in the handwriting of Kirstie Freeman, a part-time nurse. He said all were made out to patients aged over 60, who would not have to pay charges.
The court heard that the total loss to the NHS was £206.
Mr Verheijen said some prescriptions were issued on headed notepaper at her husband's surgery, Knowle House Surgery in Tamerton Foliot.
He added they had clearly been taken without the knowledge of anyone there.
Mr Verheijen said she admitted the offences in her second police interview, saying she needed painkillers to combat chronic spinal pain.
Tracey Baker, for Freeman, said she had been working with the Harbour drug counselling service.
She added she had been dismissed from the hospital and within the next 12 months faced a disciplinary hearing before the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Mrs Baker said it was likely she would be removed from the nursing register, meaning she could not work in the profession again.
Handing up five character references, she added: "Clearly she is a valued member of staff. Her misuse of medication did not seem to have an impact.
"No punishment can match what her actions have already brought about – that she can no longer work in the profession."
Mrs Baker said Freeman suffered from chronic pain syndrome after the birth of her second child.
Judge Darlow said: "Reports say as a nurse you are compassionate, caring and professional. All that has been consigned to history by your actions."
A spokesperson for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Derriford, said: "As a public organisation, funded by taxpayers money, we take issues of theft and fraud extremely seriously and employ a counter-fraud officer.
"In this case, discrepancies were identified by a member of staff within the Trust and our counter-fraud officer duly investigated. We alerted the police and they progressed the matter, taking it forward to prosecution.
"Clearly it is not a pleasant matter but it is one that was properly identified, investigated and referred to the appropriate authorities to bring before the courts."
The trust said Freeman had been dismissed and the Nursing and Midwifery Council have issued an interim suspension order.
hearing more and more of this of late both here and the USA
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Ply...ling-forging/story-19533626-detail/story.html
Kirstie Freeman, a senior nurse at Derriford Hospital's Accident and Emergency department, used the names of patients aged over 60 so she would not have to pay for them.
Freeman, aged 40, fraudulently gained drugs including Valium on 17 occasions, Plymouth Crown Court heard.
Freeman was sacked and faces disciplinary action to ban her from working as a nurse again. She has already been handed an interim suspension by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Judge Paul Darlow said: "It was a gross breach of trust. You have consigned to the dustbin 16 years of working as a nurse."
The court heard that Freeman was prescribed the drugs for chronic pain syndrome.
Freeman, of Vapron Road, Mannamead, admitted two counts of fraud by false representation and one of theft between January 2010 and March 2013.
She also pleaded guilty to possession of a small amount of cannabis.
Freeman was jailed for 32 weeks, suspended for two years. She must pay the NHS £4,800 to cover the cost of the investigation and another £510 towards Crown Prosecution Service costs.
Alistair Verheijen, for the Crown Prosecution Service, said Derriford Hospital held a review and found a large amount of diazepam, the chemical name for Valium, and the painkiller Co-codamol had been prescribed.
He added staff requested that pharmacies return their prescriptions for the drugs.
Mr Verheijen said one patient supposedly prescribed drugs in the Accident and Emergency department had already been moved to another ward.
He added a doctor who had apparently signed another prescription was no longer working at the hospital.
Mr Verheijen said several prescriptions, for Valium, Co-codamol and the anti-depressant Amitriptyline, were in the handwriting of Kirstie Freeman, a part-time nurse. He said all were made out to patients aged over 60, who would not have to pay charges.
The court heard that the total loss to the NHS was £206.
Mr Verheijen said some prescriptions were issued on headed notepaper at her husband's surgery, Knowle House Surgery in Tamerton Foliot.
He added they had clearly been taken without the knowledge of anyone there.
Mr Verheijen said she admitted the offences in her second police interview, saying she needed painkillers to combat chronic spinal pain.
Tracey Baker, for Freeman, said she had been working with the Harbour drug counselling service.
She added she had been dismissed from the hospital and within the next 12 months faced a disciplinary hearing before the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Mrs Baker said it was likely she would be removed from the nursing register, meaning she could not work in the profession again.
Handing up five character references, she added: "Clearly she is a valued member of staff. Her misuse of medication did not seem to have an impact.
"No punishment can match what her actions have already brought about – that she can no longer work in the profession."
Mrs Baker said Freeman suffered from chronic pain syndrome after the birth of her second child.
Judge Darlow said: "Reports say as a nurse you are compassionate, caring and professional. All that has been consigned to history by your actions."
A spokesperson for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Derriford, said: "As a public organisation, funded by taxpayers money, we take issues of theft and fraud extremely seriously and employ a counter-fraud officer.
"In this case, discrepancies were identified by a member of staff within the Trust and our counter-fraud officer duly investigated. We alerted the police and they progressed the matter, taking it forward to prosecution.
"Clearly it is not a pleasant matter but it is one that was properly identified, investigated and referred to the appropriate authorities to bring before the courts."
The trust said Freeman had been dismissed and the Nursing and Midwifery Council have issued an interim suspension order.
hearing more and more of this of late both here and the USA
http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Ply...ling-forging/story-19533626-detail/story.html
