Providence Care has launched an internal investigation and also called in Kingston Police to look into the theft of the hydromorphone drug Dilaudid from one of its palliative care units at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital site, the hospital has confirmed.

The security breach was discovered in June but the thefts may have been going on since early 2013.

According to Providence Care’s internal investigation, it has learned that a female nurse with access to narcotics stored on a palliative care unit had been removing the drug from the unit. [Read more…]

A Coatesville woman was charged Tuesday with taking narcotics from the Pocopson Home.

Carolyn Howett, 36, who had worked as a licensed practical nurse at the Chester County-owned senior care facility for about 15 years was charged with taking 26 Zolpidem pills and a vial of morphine. The drugs, authorities said, had been prescribed to a patient in April who subsequently died later that month. [Read more…]

A senior nurse has been arrested and a major investigation launched after 80 bottles of morphine were tampered with at a hospital.

Colleagues looked on in horror as the health worker, named locally as David Bamford, 46, was led away by police.

They had been called in after checks found morphine bottles had been opened then resealed.

Mr Bamford, a former Army medic, has not been seen at the hospital since he was taken in for questioning. [Read more…]