UK nurse struck off after taking drugs from A&E store for personal use
A nurse has been permanently removed from the UK nursing register after she was found to have taken prescription medications from a hospital accident and emergency department for her own use on 22 separate occasions.
Helen McLaughlan, who worked at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Berkshire, was struck off following a fitness to practise hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
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The panel concluded that her actions amounted to serious misconduct and that her fitness to practise was impaired.
What the NMC found
Between November 2020 and April 2021, over a period of approximately six months, Ms McLaughlan removed medications from the A&E medication store. These included:
- Ibuprofen and codeine (painkillers)
- Pregabalin (a controlled drug prescribed for epilepsy, neuropathic pain and anxiety)
She recorded the drugs as having been administered to patients. However, many of the named patients were no longer at the hospital, not under her care, or not even on her ward at the time.
The issue came to light during a routine medication check in early 2021 when pregabalin was discovered to be missing from stock. Ms McLaughlan was referred to the NMC in April 2021 and resigned from Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust the same month.
During the hearing, she suggested that another person might have accessed the system using her login after she failed to log out. The panel rejected this explanation and found the charges proven.
The NMC described her conduct as lying at the “more serious end of the spectrum” of misconduct. It stated that the repeated dishonesty and breach of trust were fundamentally incompatible with continued registration.
A striking-off order was imposed, together with an interim suspension order of 18 months to cover the 28-day appeal period.
Why this matters for the profession
The misuse or diversion of medicines — even when no direct harm to a patient is proven — represents a serious breach of the NMC Code. Nurses are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity, honesty and patient safety at all times.
Cases of this nature serve as a reminder of the importance of:
- robust stock control and audit processes in clinical areas
- early reporting of concerns about colleagues
- seeking support promptly if personal health or substance issues arise
Anyone struggling with health problems that could affect their practice is strongly encouraged to contact their employer, occupational health service or the NMC’s Employer Link Service for confidential advice.
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