Nurse disqualified for two years after misappropriating medication from MedStations

18 Mar 2024

A tribunal has disqualified a registered nurse from applying for registration for two years after she misappropriated various medications, including Schedule 3 and 4 substances from her workplace.

Between 15 December 2017 and 21 March 2018, Ms Sarah Johnson used her unique fingerprint ID to dispense over 2,200 capsules and tablets from the MedStations at Fiona Stanley Hospital. Ms Johnson inappropriately used functions on the MedStations to open the drawers without clinical justification to have the medication dispensed for her own personal use. Immediate action was taken to impose conditions on her registration on 26 September 2018.

Ms Johnson also provided misleading information to Ahpra by falsely claiming that she had previously been prescribed Pregabalin following a work-related accident in 2016.

At a mediation in the State Administrative Tribunal (the tribunal) on 13 September 2023, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and Ms Johnson came to agreed terms of settlement for disciplinary proceedings.

On 14 September 2023, the tribunal found that Ms Johnson had engaged in professional misconduct and ordered that she:

• be reprimanded,
• be disqualified from applying for registration for two years,
• be prohibited from providing any health service, either paid or on a voluntary basis, where the position provides any opportunity for unsupervised access to unlocked or unsecured schedule 3 or 4 medications or poisons, prescription medications or drugs of dependence for a period of 2 years, and
• make a contribution of $4,000 toward the Board’s costs of conducting this matter.

The tribunal accepted that Ms Johnson has no prior disciplinary history, made early admissions in relation to the allegations in the proceedings and has expressed remorse for her conduct.

The tribunal’s decision was made public on 14 September 2023 and is published on the eCourts Portal of Western Australia.