Two former healthcare professionals found guilty of unlawfully drugging patients

Two former healthcare professionals who unlawfully drugged patients at a Blackpool hospital and bragged about it to others, have been convicted.

Catherine HudsonBlackpool and Charlotte Wilmot, 48, of Bowland Crescent, Blackpool were found guilty of multiple offences following a trial at Preston Crown Court.

Hudson, who worked on the stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital as a senior nurse, was found to have needlessly sedated patients between 2017 and 2018 with Wilmot, an assistant practitioner, encouraging her to do so. Both committed the acts for their own amusement, out of spite for the patients and to have an easy shift.

Hudson sedated patients, including Aileen Scott (pictured bottom second top on the right) who is from Glasgow but was on holiday in Blackpool, with complete disregard to the consequence. Experts provided evidence during the trial, describing the risk of administrating non-prescribed sedatives to patients, particularly those who are elderly and vulnerable, as being potentially life threatening. Hudson and Wilmot knew the risks but simply did not care.

So lax were the restrictions of prescription only drugs on the stroke unit, staff would help themselves and self-medicate or steal drugs to supply to others. Drugs such as Zopiclone were stolen and used to drug patients.

Police launched an investigation in November 2018 after a student nurse raised concerns about the treatment of patients on the stroke unit. The whistle blower nurse had been working with Hudson when she saw her give non prescribed Zopiclone to a patient. When the nurse questioned Hudson, she was told not to worry about it as the patient was not for resuscitation and would not be ‘opened up’ if she died.

A number of staff members were arrested during the course of the investigation and their mobile devices seized. A review of their messages revealed a significant number of exchanges describing patients and their families in the most derogatory and cruellest terms. Laughing about harm that the patients had come to whilst on the unit and bragging about how they had drugged them.

In one message, Wilmot said a patient needed sedating ‘to high heaven’ with Hudson boasting to others about sedating another patient to ‘within an inch of her life’.

Hudson messaged her daughter to tell her that she would sedate one ‘nightmare’ patient as soon as she did her nightly drugs round laughing that he ‘sleeps like a baby’.

As enquiries continued into the ill-treatment of patients, the investigation found significant theft of medications and prescription-only drugs.

Hudson stole Omeprazole and Mebeverine, a medication for stomach cramps and she conspired with others to steal Zopiclone, a sedative medication. She conspired to steal other drugs with Wilmot.

Hudson and Wilmot admitted conspiring to steal, with Hudson admitting a further offence of perverting the course of justice.

Following a trial, Hudson was found guilty of three counts of ill treatment and one count of conspiracy to ill treat  and Wilmot found guilty of conspiracy to ill treat and encouraging Hudson to sedate a patient.

Both will be sentenced at a later date.

Ch Insp Jill Johnston, of Lancashire Police, said:

“Hudson and Wilmot ill treated the very people who they were supposed to care for.  This was a complete abuse of their position of trust – trust that the victims and their families had, expecting them to be looked after and made to feel safe. The reality was sadly quite the opposite.
“Hudson and Wilmot treated the patients without care or compassion, laughing when they came to harm and drugging them to keep them quiet so that they could have an easy shift
“The risks associated with these callous acts were obvious – inappropriately sedating elderly stroke patients could lead to added health complications and even death. They were both fully aware of the risks, which makes their behaviour even harder to comprehend
“Everyone should be safe in hospital, should receive the care they need and be treated with dignity and respect. Sadly, our enquiries uncovered the actions of a nurse who was prepared to commit systematic and calculated offending, all whilst portraying herself as a role model nurse. This could not be further from the truth.

“This has been a detailed and thorough investigation that has impacted on many patients and their families. I would like to pass on my thanks to the victims and their families, for the way that they have supported this investigation and conducted themselves throughout this trial, listening to some distressing and despicable evidence.

I am pleased that justice has been served and that Hudson and Wilmot will never be allowed to work in the care profession again.”