A Moray nurse will find out whether substance abuse will cost her a career at a hearing next week.
Elaine Garden, formerly employed at Cullen’s Wakefield House Care Home, has been accused of arriving at work “smelling of alcohol” on July 29 last year by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
On the same date, she is also accused of leaving a drugs trolley “unlocked and unsupervised”.
Ms Garden was also cited as being “unfit” for a shift on July 21, 2013 having taken unprescribed Tramadol – a strong pain killer which affects the brain’s chemicals and nervous system.
She will face an NMC conduct and competence committee hearing for alleged “misconduct” between December 2 and 5.
Her contract with Craigend Care was terminated following the incidents last year.
The NMC panel also handed her a 15 month suspension while they carried out investigations into the incidents.
A report to the NMC panel last year said that she “fell over whilst in the lounge, spilt coffee everywhere and attempted to speak to relatives who walked away when they couldn’t understand what she saying, as her speech was incoherent” whilst under the influence of the painkiller.
The report stated, on July 29, that she began to alarm colleagues after turning up to work under the influence.
It went on: “Ms Garden reported to the office at 8.10pm and was described by a colleague as being incoherent and unable to string two words together.
“Ms Garden allegedly smelt of alcohol and was behaving in a drunken manner.
“The colleague asked for the drugs keys but Ms Garden could not find them and they were located in the drugs trolley upstairs which was left open and unattended, albeit in a locked area.”
She is also said to have made “multiple drug errors” during that shift, making it “impossible for other staff to ascertain what had been administered”.
The incident did not cause any physical harm to patients.
A spokeswoman for Wakefield House said they were not in at liberty to make any comment about staff past or present.