Nurse at Northampton GP surgery cautioned by police after prescribing Class C drug to wife

Kyle Hastings, who works at St Luke's Primary Care Centre in Duston, has been facing a Nursing and Midwifery Council panel over incidents dating between 2016 and 2017 involving misuse of prescriptions.

Mr Hastings used to work for Milton Keynes Hospital but left in May 2016. Although he was supposed to hand in all his prescription pads, it was later discovered after an NHS investigation that he had continued to issue MK Hospital scripts to patients, including outside of work hours.

And the tribunal was also told that the nurse had been cautioned by police in November 2016 for supplying the sleeping tablet zopiclone - a Class C drug that a was prescribed to Mr Hastings - to his wife.

Chair of the panel Janet Leonard said: "The panel was of the view that a fully informed member of the public would be seriously concerned by the misconduct identified, as well as the police caution relating to a separate medical issue.

"Therefore the panel determined that a finding of impairment on public interest grounds was required."

The panel also heard that Mr Hastings issued prescriptions for three different drugs to someone who was not a patient of MK Hospital in March 2016. Three days later he did the same with two types of drugs.

Then, on March 31 2016, Mr Hastings told the hospital he possessed only one prescribing form, a statement that turned out to be incorrect.

On May 8 2016, he again issued two drugs on hospital scripts to someone who was not a hospital patient.

It was only after the final occasion - in March 2017 - that Mr Hastings' misconduct was discovered.

Having prescribed - at his home - an antibiotic to a colleague's 18 month-old child using a hospital prescription, the child's father raised concerns. It was later established that the child was neither a patient of the hospital nor the surgery, and that Mr Hastings had failed to update the child's medical record or inform their GP, which the panel considered had put them at risk of serious harm.

Addressing Mr Hastings, Mrs Leonard said that, in his defence, no further concerns had been raised against him while working at St Luke's. He also admitted all of the above charges.

Mrs Leonard said: "It was confirmed to the panel that the partners of the centre are aware of the charges against you.

"However, they are still content for you to continue working there and are both satisfied that you do not pose a risk of repetition of your behaviour, nor an ongoing risk to patient safety."

A decision on whether any sanction will be taken against Mr Hastings will be taken on September 17. In the meantime he is free to practice as a nurse as the tribunal said he posed no danger to the public.