A NURSE who was dismissed from her job has been cautioned by The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) for stealing drugs from a Blackburn hospital.

Carol Ainley was employed by BMI Healthcare to work at Beardwood Hopsital, and at the same time was working occasional shifts at Wigan Hospital.

On January 2 last year, Ms Ainley was stopped by police on her way home from work, in relation to what she believed was a broken wing mirror on her car.

She confessed to police that she had medication in her car which she had taken from work because she had a toothache, and she was arrested.

Police found a mixture of over-the-counter medication and prescription drugs in her car, including paracetamol, ibuprofen, and diclofenac, a prescription-only anti-inflamatory drug, which she admitted taking from Beardwood Hospital.

They also found nitrazepam, a prescription sleeping tablet, in the pocket of her Wigan Hospital uniform.

Officers searched her home and found more medication, and she was bailed to February 15.

The next day Ms Ainley, who has been a registered nurse for eight years, told her employers of her arrest, and she was suspended. A disciplinary hearing was held at Beardwood Hospital on January 11 and she was dismissed.

On January 23, she was given a police caution for two offences of theft relating to the drugs in her car, which were worth less than £5 in total. No action was taken in relation to the medication at her house, which she claimed she had taken home in error.

The case was referred to the NMC by BMI Healthcare and a hearing was held this week to determine her fitness to practice.

A report from the hearing, held by the NMC’s Conduct and Competence Committee, said: “The panel considered that this is a case where public confidence in the profession would be undermined if a finding of impairment were not made.

“The panel finds your fitness to practice is impaired by reason of your cautions and the acts which led to them.”

Ms Ainley was given a caution by the panel, which will remain on her record for two years. It will be recorded against her registration and on the NMC’s website, and must be declared to any potential employer.