A PROFESSIONAL carer from Whitehaven illegally supplied her own anti-depressant pills to a vulnerable client who later died.

But the “two or three” Fluoxetine pills given to the man by his carer Ruth Brown were not judged to be a major contributory factor in the man’s death in September, 2020, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Brown, 59, of Bransty Road, Whitehaven, admitted supplying the prescription only medication between September 18, 2020 and September 27 that same year in breach of the Human Medicines Regulations.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson outlined how the man who died had been a resident at the Richmond Terrace facility run by Turning Point in Whitehaven which looks after people with mental health and addiction issues.

Brown worked there as a carer.

After the resident died on September 27, 2020, a toxicology report found evidence that he had taken the antidepressant – despite not having a current prescription for it.

The man’s death was the result of the combined effects of substances which included methadone and diazepam. There was nothing in the report to suggest that the Fluoxetine caused the man’s death.

“It’s undoubtedly a sad case,” said Mr Rogerson.

The offence came to light after the family of the man who died raised their concern about him having had Fluoxetine when they arrived to collect his belongings.

The relatives were talking to staff and asked if the man was ever given tablets, at which point Brown “welled up with tears and began to shake.” She told the relatives: “I’m sorry; it was me who gave [the man] tablets.”

An investigation confirmed that Brown had given the man some of her own prescribed Fluoxetine pills, despite not being authorised or qualified to do this. In a statement, she later said she had done this in a misguided attempt to keep the man calm.

“She said everything she had done was always in the best interest of her client… and the other clients,” said Mr Rogerson.

Defence barrister Judith McCullough said Brown, a woman with no previous convictions, had been a hard-working carer for many years who now regretted the decision she made.

“She found herself at the centre of a perfect storm,” said Mis McCullough. She described the facility as a “half-way house” for people overcoming addiction who were waiting to be rehoused in the community.

Faced with a client who was “increasingly agitated”, Brown had tried to secure a GP's appointment for him so he could obtain Fluoxetine legitimately after the man said he needed it to calm down.

“She was familiar with that struggle because she was prescribed it herself,” said Miss McCullough. At the time, due to the pandemic, it was not easy to get a GP’s appointment.

She was also unable to access emergency mental health services for the man, and so took the "fateful" decision to give the man some of her own pills. “It was undoubtedly a misjudgement,” said the barrister.

Miss McCullough said of the defendant: “She did not act maliciously; she believed at the time that she was helping him and others in the unit.”

Judge Ian Unsworth QC said this was a tragic case and it was important to recognise the prosecution’s acceptance of the key fact that Brown’s actions did not contribute to the man’s death.

“It’s clear that at the time you thought that you were doing the right thing, but you were wrong about that,” said the judge. “It was a serious misjudgement.” He imposed a one-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work.