Blackpool healthcare workers guilty of ill-treatment by unlawfully sedating patients

A nurse and a healthcare worker have been found guilty of unlawfully drugging patients – amid allegations they did so for their own amusement and an easy life.

Catherine Hudson, 54, and Charlotte Wilmot, 48, ill-treated those in their care on a stroke unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in Lancashire between February 2017 and November 2018, Preston Crown Court heard.

Hudson was found guilty of ill-treating three patients. Both women were found guilty of conspiracy to ill treat a patient by administering sedatives.

They faced a total of nine counts concerning five patients, with Hudson found not guilty of three counts.

Wilmot was also found guilty of encouraging Hudson to sedate a patient while Hudson was found guilty of theft of the drug Mebeverine, used to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

A police investigation was launched after a student nurse on a work placement told authorities she saw Hudson give unprescribed Zopiclone, a sleeping pill said to be potentially life threatening if given inappropriately, to a patient in November 2018.

Prosecutors said messages exchanged between Hudson, an experienced Band 5 registered nurse, and Wilmot, a Band 4 assistant practitioner, revealed a “culture of abuse”.

Both women will be sentenced at a later date. Hudson was remanded into custody while Wilmot is set to be granted bail.

The verdicts were reached after nearly 14 hours of deliberation.

Prosecutor Peter Wright told the jury the healthcare workers treated patients with “contempt” rather than “care and compassion”.

“They considered them, or some of them, to be an imposition, an irritation,” he said.

“Patients were ill-treated. They were sedated either for the amusement of these defendants or simply to keep them quiet and to make their life easier, and their work less onerous or arduous.

“The risks to the patients were obvious, but we say they didn’t care.

“They thought it was amusing. It was something which they would brag about or share as a joke on social media and with other members of staff who shared their particular brand of humour.”

He said WhatsApp messages sent between the pair were uncovered after a probe was launched into alleged misconduct at the hospital.

In one exchange about an elderly male patient, Hudson wrote: “I’m going to kill bed 5 xxx.”

Wilmot replied: “Pmsl (p***ing myself laughing) well tonight sedate him to high heaven lol xxx.”

Hudson said: “Already in my head to give him double !!”

The next evening Hudson messaged Wilmot: “If bed 5 starts he will b getting sedated to hell pmsfl. I’ll get u the abx (anti-biotic) xxx”.

Jurors were told Hudson also bragged about sedating another female patient, who was profoundly brain damaged, to a healthcare assistant when she wrote: “I sedated on(e) of them to within an inch of her life lol. Bet she’s flat for a week haha xxx.”

On the following day she asked Wilmot about the same patient, writing: “What’s bed 29 been doing today pmsfl. Not a f***ing lot I bet!! Seeing as I sedated her on sat and sun lol lol xxx.”

Wilmot replied: “Yeahhhh I knew it, everything you gave her has started working today!!!! made for a nice day though, it ain’t been bad lol. Xxx.”

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Hudson responded: “She was driving me mad , so it was pxd (prescribed) and had to b done lol . She needed the rest xxx.”

Mother-of-three Hudson denied inappropriately giving any drugs and said the text conversations were “just banter” to relieve the stresses of the job.

She told jurors the unit was understaffed to a “completely dangerous level” for years and that medication was “scattered around” and freely available.

Hudson said the “whole ward was corrupt” and that “95% of the staff” would take medication from the unit. Some would use them on duty and “regrettably” she eventually stole drugs, she said.

Wilmot, who was dismissed by her employers in 2020, said she had not been qualified to administer medications, had never given sleeping tablets to patients for an “easy life” or witnessed anyone else doing so.

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