A British jury last week heard chilling texts from two nurses, sent after “drugging patients in a hospital stroke unit for amusement during shifts”, and for an “easy life” while on duty, the court was told.
Catherine Hudson and Charlotte Wilmot joked about killing or sedating patients, particularly those they disliked, at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, reports the Daily Mail.
Catherine Hudson (54) and Charlotte Wilmot (48) are said to have targeted patients if they disliked them or their relatives.
In one text message to a colleague, Hudson wrote: “I sedated one of them to within an inch of her life lol. Bet she’s flat for a week haha xxx.”
In others, jurors were told Hudson wrote that she was going to “kill bed 5” and planned to give one patient “the best sleep she ever had”.
“What a lovely day I have had today,” Hudson wrote in a message read to the jury. “Sedated all the troublemakers lol xxx.”
Opening the case at Preston Crown Court, prosecutor Peter Wright said: “We say the defendants treated patients not with care and compassion, but with contempt. They considered them, or some of them, to be an imposition, an irritation.
“Patients were ill-treated, sedated either for the amusement of these defendants or simply to keep them quiet and to make their life easier, and their work less onerous or arduous.”
He said the defendants “through their own mouths” in those messages had revealed a “culture of abuse” on the unit.
A whistle-blowing student nurse reported the events to the authorities in November 2018, the court heard.
Wright said a detailed and lengthy investigation included an examination of the defendants’ electronic devices.
A message exchange between Hudson and Wilmot, about an elderly male patient, was read to the court.
Hudson wrote: “I’m going to kill bed 5 xxx.”
Wilmot replied: “… well tonight sedate him to high heaven lol xxx.”
Hudson said: “Already in my head to give him double!!”
Later, Hudson wrote: “I’ve just sedated him lol he was gearing up to start (laughing emoji) xxx’.” Wilmot said: “Praise the lord Xxx.”
The Crown says Hudson bragged about sedating another patient to a healthcare assistant when she wrote: “I sedated on(e) of them to within an inch of her life lol. Bet she’s flat for a week haha xxx.”
The next day, she inquired about the same patient to Wilmot.
Hudson wrote: “What’s bed 29 been doing today …Not a f***ing lot I bet!! Seeing as I sedated her on sat and sun lol lol xxx.”
Wilmot replied: “Yeahhhh I knew it, everything you gave her has started working today!!!! Made for a nice day though….”
Hudson responded: “She was driving me mad, so it was pxd (prescribed) and had to b done lol. She needed the rest.”
Wright said Hudson was also involved in depriving patients of prescribed laxatives, writing that there would be: “No s******g on my shift.”
Hudson denies ill-treating four patients and stealing Mebeverine, a medicine intended for an end-of-life care patient.
Wilmot denies encouraging Hudson to sedate one of those patients.
Both have also pleaded not guilty to conspiring to ill-treat another patient.
The offences are said to have taken place between February 2017 and November 2018.
The trial continues.
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