A Moray registered nurse has been served with a four year caution order after being found with the drug speed.
Michelle Benzie was employed at Lythe Care Home in Cullen and on September 15, 2013 a fellow nurse working at the home found a small box containing a white substance in the locked medication trolley.
Ms Benzie had been working the night shift from September 14 into September 15 so the nurse telephoned her. She confirmed that the box was hers and the substance in it was speed (amphetamine).
The nurse who found the drug reported the incident to the manager and the home owner who both carried out an investigation.
Ms Benzie said that she had not slept as she had attended a funeral that day and she felt she may need the speed to keep her awake during her shift.
Ms Benzie said that the speed had not been prescribed for her and she had not taken any whilst on shift.
The matter was reported to the police and the substance handed over to them. The police did not progress the matter and Ms Benzie was not charged with any offence.
Ms Benzie resigned from the home on September 13 last year.
A Nursing and Midwifery Council panel met on October 9 to hear the case. Ms Benzie did not attend and she was not represented.
They received a copy of Ms Benzie’s response to the allegations. She made a full admission and accepted that her fitness to practice was impaired by reason of misconduct.
They found that her actions did pose a potential risk to patients even though the substance was kept in a locked medication trolley.
The panel made a caution order of four years because they considered this case to be at the higher end of the caution category.