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For a pharmacist with a serious narcotics addiction it must have been like being let loose in a candy store.
Thanks to disturbing gaps in hospital systems, Matthew Foster was able to steal “extraordinary amounts” of narcotics from WA’s Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH).
So extraordinary that the colleague who raised suspicions with hospital authorities assumed the drugs were “going to market”. They didn’t think one human body could cope with the amount of drugs being diverted.
Mr Foster simply created false orders for hydromorphone and oxycodone that never arrived on a ward or unit.
The former pharmacy student of the year, who became addicted after a family tragedy, managed to do that on 130 occasions over more than a year.
The thefts promoted a Corruption and Crime Commission investigation. It highlighted both the tragedy of addiction and ongoing lapses at both the hospital and at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital, where Mr Foster was previously employed.
If found systems at latter were “inadequate and easy to circumvent” while the Fiona Stanley Hospital failed to pick “obvious warning signs”.
Despite the seriousness of the crime, both hospitals are yet to fully implement new checks and balances for schedule 8 drugs. These include mandated quarterly audits.
There remained significant risk of “serious misconduct and corruption” in WA hospitals, according to the commission.
Mr McKenchnie has made 10 recommendations, tabled in WA parliament this week, to tighten measures around schedule 8 drugs. These include:
- Mandatory audits of all after-hours access to the pharmacy safe and prohibiting solo access.
- New procedures to reconcile pharmacy supply with receipt on a ward or unit
- A forum for chief pharmacists to share information about drug diversion risks and solutions.
- Progressive implementation of automated storage and supply units.
As for Mr Foster, a once bright pharmacy career is in tatters.
When arrested, Mr Foster was using 50 to 100 milligrams of hydromorphone. In December he was sentenced to 12 months jail, fully suspended, and 18 months community service for stealing 17 grams of hydromorphone and nearly 12 grams of oxycodone.
But the exact amount of drugs taken can’t be calculated due to missing WA Health records.
“As a consequence, Mr Foster now has 92 criminal convictions,” says commissioner John McKechnie.
“His career prospects have been curtailed and he is not permitted to use his knowledge or skills to practice as a pharmacist.”