Dominic Smithers
A nurse was sacked after she was caught stealing tablets form a hospital drugstore.
Francesca Morgan, from Woolton, was found to have nicked a co-codamol pill and then a paracetamol tablet while working at Arrowe Park Hospital near Liverpool.
Concerns were raised when staff at the hospital noticed medication had gone missing in the last year.
In an effort to get to the bottom of it, they installed a secret camera and caught the 32-year-old in the act.
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During a hearing at Wirral Magistrates' Court, Morgan pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by employee between 6 June and 18 June 2021.
Prosecuting, Yvonne Dobson told the court that a number of staff were found to have acted inappropriately with hospital drugs.
She said: ”The hospital began an investigation due to a large number of pills needing replenishment. A tablet count was put in place to monitor the amount of medication at the beginning and end of each day.
''That was put in place without the knowledge of the staff.
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“Following this a covert camera was put in place. A number of staff were found to not be following the correct procedure in the handling of medication.
“The defendant was also seen to take medication without a legitimate reason.
“She was stealing the medication for herself. On the first occasion she took some co-codamol. On the second occasion it was paracetamol.”
Ms Dobson claimed that Morgan was seen swallowing tablets with a drink.
However, she stated that the nurse was not wholly responsible for all of the thefts.
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“We are not accusing her of the entire theft," Ms Dobson said.
"These are two limited incidents. She believed that she had implied consent to take the medication. There was a lack of previous convictions but she has now lost her good character.”
Defending, Morgan's solicitor Laura Flynn told the court that her client had since lost her job and home, and had been forced to move in with a grandparent.
Ms Flynn claimed that Morgan saw other nurses taking medication from the drugstore and thought it was ok.
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She claimed to have used the drugs to treat headaches she had been suffering with at the time.
Morgan was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £144 in costs and victim surcharge.
Handing down the sentence, Chairman Peter Mawdsley said: "You have already suffered the loss of your job and your home. In light of that a conditional discharge is appropriate."