An NHS worker has been struck off after being caught stealing medications, and taking them herself in the toilets while still on duty, a tribunal has found.
In an action that has been described as "deplorable", it has been shockingly revealed that Fiona M Watson, who was working in surgical theatres at Sunderland Royal Hospital, stole drugs - including diazepram - from the hospital's supply and took them in the staff toilets.
Ms Watson, who was formerly an registered operating department practitioner assisting anaesthetists, has now been struck off.
This comes after a panel found that she not only put NHS patients at risk - but also her staff.
It was heard that Ms Watson finished a night shift on the 22 October 2019 looking "pale and unwell" and was speaking slowly.
The day after, colleagues at the hospital found "a number of items in toilets on the unit which raised concerns that drugs had been self-administered by someone," including used dressings, swabs and needles, packaging of drugs such as Cyclizine and Diazepam.
Horrified staff also found blood splattered on the floor of a staff toilet, reports Chronicle Live.
Despite being confronted about this when she returned to work the following day, Ms Watson only admitted to taking tramadol - on prescription.
However, despite her claims, she was told she would be suspended over concerns that she had taken and used medicined from the hospital's stock for her own personal use.
She then admitted using Cyclizine during shift and said she had felt sick.
An internal investigation then commence, and the former department practitioner's case was referred to the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service.
Following a hearing between November 11 and November 18 this year, Ms Watson was formally found to have committed misconduct.
She did not attend the hearing or make representations herself.
The published ruling states: "The Panel accepted the evidence of […] two senior Matrons within the Trust, that the Registrant’s self-administering of the drugs in question could have had serious implications for patient care, placing patients at risk of harm by self-administering one of more of the medications whilst on duty as an ODP.
"In particular, the Panel was concerned that the Registrant’s ability to respond to an emergency risked being compromised.
"The Panel also determined that the Registrant placed her colleagues and potentially members of the public at risk of harm by leaving blood spatters on the walls and floors of the toilet cubicles, and by leaving sharp items, such as needles and broken glass vials, in various locations in the Hospital."
The tribunal also went on to reveal that Ms Watson had not engaged with occupational health services either at the time of the incident or since, nor had they co-operated with the hospital trust's internal investigation.
However, the panel found in mitigation: "The incidents occurred when the Registrant was facing challenging personal circumstances, telling [two witnesses] on the night of the shift in question (but only when she was confronted) that she could not cope."
In conclusion the tribunal panel found that Ms Watson's actions were "nothing short of deplorable".
It added that the allegations she had caused risk to the public and acted dishonestly had been proven.
The panel continued that it was "in no doubt that the Registrant's actions had the clear potential to undermine public confidence in the profession" and that "to characterise them as other than misconduct would fail to uphold proper professional standards".
As a result, and because the tribunal found the misconduct had been "very serious" and was "liable to be repeated with an ongoing risk of harm" - and as Ms Watson had shown an "absence of any desire" to address the issues, it was necessary for her to be struck off.
