An NHS nurse convicted of drugging patients for an ‘easy life’ has been sentenced to seven years and two months in prison today. Catherine Hudson, 54, was convicted in October of drugging patients for her own amusement during work shifts at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in April 2017 and November 2018.

Junior colleague Charlotte Wilmot, 48, was found guilty of encouraging Hudson to drug a patient. She was sentenced to three years in prison. Both appeared at Preston Crown Court today to receive their sentences, with Wilmot being handed down an three year sentence.

During a five-week trial starting in September this year the court heard Wilmot, 48, a Band 5 nurse, egged on Hudson when patients she was taking care of became challenging.

A jury previously heard how staff on the stroke unit routinely stole drugs and made cruel jokes about the vulnerable patients in their care.

When two patients became agitated or “hard work”, Hudson would administer sedatives to make the lives of herself and her colleagues easier.

LancsLive reports the court heard in 2017 and 2018, there was “a culture of abuse” on the ward, with staff able to help themselves to Zopiclone, a sedative, and other drugs for their own use or to drug patients. A WhatsApp group chat included messages, joking about sedating patients.

However in 2018, a student nurse who was on placement at the stroke unit blew the whistle on the practice, sparking an investigation into the way the unit was operating.

Five members of staff were charged with stealing drugs from the unit, with Hudson and Wilmot also charged with conspiring to ill-treat their patients.

Speaking after the verdict from the trial, the son of one of the patients, Aileen Scot, described Hudson as “pure evil” but said he was glad justice had been done.

Hudson’s partner, Marek Grabienowski, a band 7 nurse who at one stage ran the hospital’s A&E department, was also sentenced to 14 months for two counts of conspiracy to steal drugs from his employer, and perverting the course of justice.

Judge Altham said: “Wilmot, your involvement was over a more limited time and Hudson was your superior. I make the same observation to the harm caused.

“For ill treatment the least I can pass is 16 months on each, consecutive to each other, totalling 32 months.

“There are fewer thefts and no stealing from a terminally ill patient. You are not someone who is qualified to handle meds at work. Thefts will be 10 months concurrent with each other.

“However when reduced for totality, the overall sentence is three years. It is too long to be suspended and the offences are so serious they can only be marked with immediate custody.”

And added: “Grabianowski, for perverting the course of justice – eight months. You are to be sentenced for two thefts also. 32 weeks for each.”

“The sentence will be reduced to a total of 14 months for totality. The perverting the course of justice is so serious it can only be marked with imediate custody.

“Your duty as a citizen and a professional was to co-operate with the investigation, not to frustrate it.”

Addressing Hudson, the judge says: “You were in a position of trust and responsibility. You offended against vulnerable people in your care over a significant period. You were the lead offender. You sought to seek assistance from the student you were supervising.

“There was in each case a risk of harm. We have heard of the risk of sedatives to stroke patients.

“The relatives of all those patients will always be distressed at the betrayal of trust. There will be a loss of public confidence in the NHS.”

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