A ‘deplorable’ nurse who illegally drugged patients on a hospital stroke unit for an “easy life” has been struck off the nursing register.
Catherine Hudson was jailed for seven years and two months in December 2023 for illegally sedating two patients at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and conspiring with a junior colleague to sedate a third. Now she has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) following a hearing last week.
In November 2018, police were alerted by hospital staff after a student nurse reported that Hudson had suggested administering an unprescribed sleeping pill to an elderly patient. After a hearing held on January 6, Hudson has been struck off by the NMC, with a report stating that her conduct “put vulnerable patients at risk of significant harm,” and highlighted her contempt for her patients.
She gave one victim, 76-year-old Aileen Scott – who had been paralysed by a stroke – an unprescribed sedative, zopiclone, to keep her “quiet and compliant”. Ms Scott had travelled from Glasgow to Blackpool with her son in October 2018 when she suffered a stroke and was rushed to hospital.
Her son described the pair as “pure evil” and said his mum’s treatment would “haunt” her family for the rest of their lives. She wrote about one of her victims in a Whatsapp message: “I sedated one of them to within an inch of her life lol. Bet she’s flat for a week haha xxx.”
Transcript of messaging conversation between Catherine Hudson and Charlotte Wilmot where they discuss ill-treatment of patients
The NMC panel noted remarks made by the judge at Hudson’s sentencing in 2023, where the judge stated that: “The patients were as vulnerable as anyone could be. They could not leave the stroke unit. Some of them found it difficult to make themselves understood. These defendants exploited them for an easy shift, for amusement, to exercise a contemptuous power over them.”
The panel found Hudson’s conduct of deliberate ill-treatment of multiple vulnerable patients, stealing drugs and deliberately attempting to destroy evidence, together with her contempt and disregard towards patients and their families was indicative of dangerous and deep-seated attitudinal issues. The panel noted that concerns of dishonesty and attitudinal issues are difficult to remediate, and determined that there was a “high risk” of Hudson’s behaviour being repeated.
A report from the misconduct hearing said: “Mrs Hudson’s actions were significant departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse and in the panel’s judgement they were fundamentally incompatible with her remaining on the register. The panel was of the view that a member of the public would find it morally reprehensible if a nurse were allowed to practise having been convicted of ill-treatment of patients, theft of drugs and perverting the course of justice.”
Police photo of evidence including drugs collected from Catherine Hudson and Charlotte Wilmot
While the striking-off order cannot take effect until the end of a 28-day appeal period, the panel has also imposed an interim suspension order for 18 months to cover any potential appeal period. Band five staff nurse Hudson, 54, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court for three offences of ill-treatment and one of conspiracy to ill-treat in relation to vulnerable patients at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
She was also sentenced for conspiring to steal five different medications from the hospital and perverting the course of justice by attempting to dispose of the medication. Hudson, of Blackpool, pleaded guilty to theft of Omeprazole, conspiracy to steal Omeprazole, conspiracy to steal Amoxicillin x2, conspiracy to steal Zopiclone x2, perverting the course of justice, conspiracy to steal Trimethoprim, conspiracy to steal Metronidazole.
Hudson was convicted after trial of ill-treatment on three counts, conspiracy to ill-treat, and theft of Mebeverine.
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