Blackpool Victoria nurse found guilty of unlawfully drugging patients
Elaine Willcox reports from Preston Crown Court
A nurse who worked in a stroke unit in Blackpool has been found guilty of ill-treating patients by giving them sedatives to keep them "quiet and compliant".
Catherine Hudson, 54, from Blackpool, drugged two patients for an “easy life” during work shifts at Blackpool Victoria Hospital between April 2017 and November 2018.
She was found guilty on five counts of ill-treatment of patients & theft of medication. She was cleared of ill-treating two other patients.
Fellow nurse Charlotte Wilmot, 48, also from Blackpool was found guilty of conspiring to administer a sedative to a third patient.
There was no reaction from the nurses who sat next to each other in the dock.
The court heard she was an "enthusiastic and impressionable accomplice", only too happy to encourage the ill-treatment.
Video report by Granada Reports correspondent Mel Barham
WhatsApp messages between Hudson and colleagues read out in court revealed a "culture of abuse" on the stroke unit.
The trust's Chief Executive admitted the nurses' conduct was ''inappropriate and unacceptable'' and said sorry to patients, their families and colleagues who were affected.
Preston Crown Court heard that, in one exchange between the two nurses about an elderly male patient, Hudson wrote: "I'm going to kill bed 5 xxx".
In another, the court heard that she said: "I sedated one of them to within an inch of her life lol. Bet she's flat for a week haha xxx."
"If bed 5 starts he will b [sic] getting sedated to hell pmsfl (p*****g myself f****** laughing)," the Band 5 qualified nurse wrote in a further text message.
Trainee nurse turned whistleblower
Their actions only came to light after a student nurse saw what was happening during a placement on the ward in October 2018 and blew the whistle.
The student had been told by Hudson to give a difficult patient Zopiclone, a prescription-only sleeping pill which given inappropriately to vulnerable patients could be potentially harmful
When she queried it, knowing the patient hadn't been prescribed it, Hudson had told her no-one would find out, because the patient had a do not resuscitate order.
Covert recordings taken at her home, caught Hudson fuming about the whistleblower talking about a "hidden rule" to "take it to the grave".
"This stupid student", referring to the whistleblower "has spoiled this", she was heard saying.
When the police began investigating, it became apparent this was just the tip of the iceberg.
'My behaviour in private was appalling'
When giving evidence Hudson apologised for the messages.
She said: "I would say my behaviour in private was appalling, absolutely appalling, and I can do nothing but apologise for my behaviour in terms of the text messages.
"My behaviour towards patients and families was nothing but with care and devotion."
Hudson said she wanted to work in the specialist area of treatment after her father became unwell following a number of strokes.
She qualified as a nurse in 2010 and "loved" her job at Blackpool Victoria.
Hudson said: "It was just fulfilling. To see a patient through a journey following a stroke... and to see them through their rehab stage and then hopefully see them leave with their families."
Hudson tried to blame understaffing on the unit, claiming "there were three trained nurses for 40 patients."
She was fired from her job in May 2020 and Hudson expects she will be struck off.
The ill-treatment was said to have taken place between February 2017 and November 2018.
DCI Jill Johnston from Lancashire Police said the nurses were ‘callous & cruel”
Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, remanded Hudson into custody following the verdicts, which were reached after nearly 14 hours of deliberation.
He said: “The sentence for Catherine Hudson plainly has to be a sentence of immediate custody.
“The only question is the length.”
Judge Altham granted bail to Wilmot, but told her the “overwhelming likelihood” was that she too would receive an immediate custodial term.
Sentencing of Hudson, of Coriander Close, Blackpool, and assistant practitioner Wilmot, of Bowland Crescent, Blackpool, will take place on December 13 and 14.
Police had been called in to investigate after a whistleblowing student nurse on a work placement said Hudson suggested administering unprescribed Zopiclone, a sleeping pill, to a patient.
The student nurse was further troubled when Hudson commented: "Well she's got a DNAR (do not attempt resuscitation) in place so she wouldn't be opened up if she died or like if it came to any harm."
Brian Scott whose mum Aileen had been illegally sedated said it has been 5 years of hell for his family
Zopiclone was potentially life-threatening if given inappropriately to acutely unwell patients, the court heard.
Karen Tonge, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS North West’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “The callous and dangerous actions of Hudson and Wilmot are truly shocking. They showed utter contempt for patients in their care.
“Their role was to care for the patients on their ward. This included elderly and vulnerable patients who were seriously ill. Instead, they conspired to ill-treat them, sedating them for their own convenience and amusement or purely out of spite.
“Patients should be able to feel safe and secure in hospital and know those charged with their care will not do them deliberate harm. Their relatives and friends should feel confident that the needs of their loved ones are being looked after.
“They grossly abused their position and the trust that patients and their families put in them. Now they must face the consequences of their actions.”
Trish Armstrong-Child, Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “It is very clear from the evidence heard by the jury that inappropriate and unacceptable conduct and practices were taking place at the time and I want to say sorry to patients, families and other colleagues who were impacted by that.
“It’s important now to reassure local people that Blackpool Teaching Hospitals has made significant improvements across a range of issues including staffing, managing medicine and creating a more respectful culture.
“Part of these changes have been to actively encourage anyone who comes into contact with the Trust in any way to speak up if they see or hear anything that causes concern or they are not comfortable with in any way.
"That’s critical to identifying issues quickly and putting improvements in place to ensure people feel safe in our care.
“Lastly, it’s important to recognise that the Trust employs a team of more than 8,000 people who work so very hard to provide safe and respectful care every day and night.
"Regulators have repeatedly highlighted ‘caring’ as a strength, this is a key area for all inspections to consider.
"I want to say thank you to all colleagues who are doing everything in their power to support patients and their families.”
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