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A midwife from Burnham on Crouch has avoided jail after stealing 27 doses of morphine from the hospital in Romford she worked at for her own consumption.
Laura MacNeil, 24, of Orchard Road, pleaded guilty to 27 counts of theft of morphine, a Class A drug, from her employer, the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
MacNeil, who trained at Anglia Ruskin University, also admitted possessing Co-Codamol, a Class B drug, and Diazepam, a Class C drug.
She was sentenced to one-year imprisonment, suspended for two years.
The midwife admitted all the charges at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on December 8 and was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday, January 5.
MacNeil was working on an antenatal ward when the offences occurred between June 15 and 18 2016.
A series of false patient entries in a controlled drug register were made by MacNeil to obtain doses of morphine, which she administered to herself.
Officers from Metropolitan Police’s Controlled Drug Liaison Unit arrested MacNeil on July 14 last year and she was charged on November22.
The matter has been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) who will conduct their own investigation and decide on sanctions regarding MacNeil’s registration and fitness to practice as a nurse.
As part of her criminal sentence, MacNeil must also complete 200 hours unpaid work.
PC Wendy McAllister who led the investigation said: “MacNeil abused her position of trust as a midwife to steal morphine for her own use.
“Although no patients went without their prescriptions, MacNeil set up false entries on the controlled drug register using the names of people on the ward she was treating.
“This case demonstrates how the Controlled Drug Liaison Unit will prosecute any medical professional guilty of stealing from their employer.”