Medic banned from EMS after stealing morphine

In order to hide her misuse, she intentionally damaged and falsified her records, using fictitious names for patients to whom she claimed to have given the morphine to

August 20, 2013 04:16 AM

Cambridge Evening News

NORWICH, England — A paramedic has been struck off after stealing morphine from work for her personal use.

Tracey Angel worked for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust up until last summer when she was sacked following a disciplinary hearing.

And now the Health and Care Profession’s Council’s conduct and competence committee has banned her from the profession after hearing she took 167 10mg vials of morphine sulphate over five months, which she self-administered.

In order to hide her misuse, she intentionally damaged and falsified her records, using fictitious names for patients to whom she claimed to have given the morphine to.The panel also heard that Angel even attended work in uniform on her days off in order to obtain morphine.

As a result of her dishonesty she also received a police caution on April 19 of last year at Norwich police station for making a false representation.

Brian Wroe, chairman of the committee - which Angel failed to appear at last week - said: “This was not an isolated incident. The defendant was involved in a course of conduct which took place over a number of months and the panel has found a significant element of dishonesty.

“While the panel has had sight of some information from the defendant in the course of the trust disciplinary proceedings in which the defendant indicates a level of insight and remorse and refers to her difficult personal circumstances, there was no evidence before the panel to support any progress the defendant has made in dealing with her issues and no information to satisfy the panel that the defendant has remedied her shortcomings.

“The panel cannot therefore be satisfied that there is no risk of repetition.”

However, another allegation that the paramedic forged a duty operations manager’s signature on one occasion to get her hands of the drug was dropped.

Angel was struck from the register with an interim suspension order in place to cover a potential appeal period.

A spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We can confirm that Tracey Angel is a former East of England NHS Trust paramedic and left following a disciplinary hearing in the summer of 2012.”