A SECOND midwife from The Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle has admitted stealing pain killer medication from her workplace.

Forty-nine-year-old Sandra Drinkald pleaded guilty to four offences: stealing codeine pills over a six-and-a-half-month period and three drug possession offences, relating to oral morphine, cannabis and codeine.

She is the second midwife from the hospital this week to have faced prosecution over the theft of codeine.

At the city's Rickergate court, the district judge who sentenced Drinkald referred to character references which showed that her colleagues at the hospital hold her in "incredibly high" regard.

A dedicated and highly respected professional, she now faces the likely loss of her £48,000 a year job as a lead midwife, the court heard. Diane Jackson, prosecuting, outlined the facts.

She said codeine tablets were disappearing at a rate of 22 boxes per week from a medicine store that was located between the Infirmary’s Outpatients Department and the Pregnancy Termination Ward.

The defendant was stealing between November 1 last year and April 13.

“The hospital carried out an internal investigation, which involved stock checks,” said the prosecutor. By linking stock discrepancies with staff rota duties, investigators were able to identify two suspects, the court heard.

The second midwife who stole codeine pills was prosecuted earlier this week. But even after that midwife was suspended, managers noticed codeine was still going missing. It was at this point that Drinkald was identified as being responsible.

“She was arrested on April 13,” said Miss Jackson.

Found in her possession at her Barley Edge home in Carlisle were nine boxes of codeine, boxes of oral morphine, cannabis resin and a cannabis grinder. The codeine boxes had the hospital’s postcode written on them in invisible ink.

Between January 1 and April 4, said Mrs Jackson, 126 boxes of codeine went missing, representing the loss of 3,528 tablets, though there was no suggestion that all of those were attributable to Drinkald. Nor was it suggested that the thefts by the defendant and the second midwife prosecuted were in any way linked.

Matron Rachel Fulton said she had worked closely with the defendant who had been at the hospital since 2003, when she qualified. “She never noticed her being under the influence at work,” said Miss Jackson.

She speculated that this was because Drinkald had probably built up a tolerance to the codeine. “If I had ever suspected she was under the influence I would have challenged her,” said the witness.

She added: “Sandra Drinkald is one of our most experienced and long-serving midwives and this revelation has shocked and saddened me.”

In her police interview, the defendant described how codeine had made her feel “nice”, but it was a “very addictive drug,” and dragged her in. She had previously taken it for a frozen shoulder. When she tried not taking it, she could not function.

She described going “cold turkey”, saying it was horrific. She also used oral morphine, saying it had a similar effect. “I would take them while working because it made me feel normal,” she said. “I wasn’t looking for a high.

“It was to make me functional.” She said she also had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, while the cannabis was brought to her house by a visitor to her home.

In a Probation Service interview, Drinkald spoke of being stressed with the pressure of work and she would take the drugs every now and again to feel better. “This progressed to taking more each time and her addiction became worse,” said the probation officer.

Drinkald tried at one point to introduce a medication accounting system at work, to reduce her opportunity to take the pills. The officer said: “She knew she was doing something wrong but continued to do so because it was her coping mechanism.”

Drinkald was fearful of disciplinary action and being struck off as a result of her actions. She wanted help but felt unable to ask for this because of the stigma surrounding opioid addiction, but she has now referred herself to Recovery Steps.

She was on medication for anxiety from her GP.

Tariq Khawam, defending, said Drinkald now faced a professional disciplinary hearing later this month to determine whether she will be dismissed. The lawyer told District Judge John Temperley: “You are not dealing with a classic criminal.

“This is someone who has made a drastically bad mistake, an error or judgement which became out of control.  She tried to arrange for a system to be put in place to make it more difficult for her to take the drugs but that was rejected.

“She was addicted, essentially; to feel normal, she had to take these codeine tablets in the end. Clearly, stress has played a significant part.”

District Judge John Temperley told Drinkald it was “particularly sad” to see her before the court. “You’re a woman who has come before the court who until today you were of good character.” 

He referred to six separate references in which her colleagues spoke “incredibly highly” of her – of her integrity, her dedication, and her honesty at work.

The judge noted that Drinkald was now addressing her addiction, though he said it was “highly likely” she would lose her profession, which was itself a significant punishment. He imposed a 12-month community order with three conditions.

They are: ten rehabilitation activity days, a three-month drug rehabilitation requirement, and 80 hours of unpaid work in the community. She must also pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

Read More: Respected Cumberland Infirmary midwife stole pain medication

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