A nurse who conned prescription drugs from chemists for her own use has been allowed to keep her job.

On one occasion Amanda Ashcroft collected 112 codeine phosphate tablets arousing the suspicion of the pharmacist who reported her because he was concerned at the large number of tablets.

A disciplinary hearing held by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in London was told Ashcroft fraudulently obtained codeine prescriptions on 10 occasions over the space of 18 months while working for Cumbria Health on Call (CHoC)

The fraud came to light after she presented a CHoC prescription for 112 codeine phosphate 30mg tablets in the name of John Little at Urwins Chemists, Seaton on April 22 last year.

The prescription was issued on that occasion but the pharmacist reported the issue to CHoC, because of the large number of tablets prescribed.

When CHoC checked the prescription against the name John Little, they found it did not match any patient records.

When Ashcroft tried to pick up a further 112 tablets from a chemist in Maryport on August 5 2015, the pharmacist called CHoC to check it was genuine.

The chemist then questioned Ashcroft about the patient the tablets were for.

Ashcroft left without obtaining the medication, before admitting to her employers later that day what she had done.

In her police interview on August 11, Ashcroft admitted fraudulently obtaining prescriptions approximately ten times for personal use, between April 2014 and May 2015.

She was cautioned for fraud by abuse of position on October 16 last year.

Panel chair Linda Stone said: 'We took into account that you have accepted that your dishonest actions put patients at unwarranted risk of harm although, thankfully, no actual harm did occur.

'We took into account that dishonesty is difficult to remediate. However we acknowledged that there has been no suggestion that you have ever acted dishonestly other than by fraudulently self-prescribing codeine phosphate 30mg between April 2014 and August 2015.

'We were satisfied that you are remediating the behaviour that led to your police caution.

'You told us that you are disgusted and ashamed of your behaviour and fully understand the impact your actions would have on the public's perception of nurses and the nursing profession.

'You provided us with a detailed background to the period of time during which you began to take codeine. You stated that whilst you were experiencing personal difficulties, it did not excuse your behaviour in any way.

'Due to the significant, and continuing, steps you have taken to address your issues, we were satisfied that you do have considerable insight into your behaviour.

'However this is a developing process and there has not yet been an opportunity for you to prove that you would not repeat your previous behaviour in challenging circumstances.'

The panel issued Ashcroft with a conditions of practice order for 24 months.

During that period, Ashcroft must not prescribe medication, must not administer medication unless supervised by a nurse of band 6 or above, must send a report from her line manager, mentor or supervisor to the NMC regarding her performance.

She must also notify the NMC of any nursing appointment she accepts or of any investigation started against her and must notify any employer or prospective employer that she is subject to a conditions of practice order.

The panel also imposed an 18-month interim conditions of practice order to cover the possibility of an appeal.

Ashcroft has 28 days to appeal against the decision.