Nurse Jennie Goult banned from practising for two years after forging prescriptions to fuel drug habit
The woman was told it counted as serious misconduct, despite the reason given to the tribunal.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A nurse who forged prescriptions under her patients’ names has been banned from practising for two years.
Jennie Goult, 49, faced disciplinary action in the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) after she abused her position to fuel her drug habit.
Ms Goult, who gained her nurse registration in 1999, was employed at a major Adelaide hospital in community palliative care service.
In the course of her employment, she was involved in the care of two particular patients and had access to their contact and personal details.
The tribunal found Ms Goult forged four prescriptions between October and December 2019 purporting to be issued by a doctor she worked with and for patients under her care.
The prescriptions were for a number of drugs, including Oxycodone, Midazolam, Hydromorphone and Morphine.
The tribunal said suspicions were aroused after Ms Goult presented the fourth prescription to the hospital pharmacy and investigations began.
Ms Goult was charged by police and pleaded guilty to one count of forging a prescription, namely the fourth prescription.
She was sentenced without conviction to an 18-month good behaviour bond, which was completed without incident.
The tribunal said leading up to the events Ms Goult had a difficult relationship with her brother who was living with her.
She started taking drugs, mainly oxycontin and hydromorphone “as a means of escape”.
“She obtained these because families of palliative care patients who died often gave leftover medicine to the palliative care nurses,” the tribunal said.
This led to Ms Goult forging the prescriptions.
The tribunal said Ms Goult was remorseful for her actions and had not abused opioids since 2019, describing herself as “feeling the best I have felt in a long time”.
“She is looking forward to moving on with her life. She has no intention of working as a nurse in the future,” the tribunal said.
The tribunal said the conduct which was constituted as professional misconduct was very serious.
“They (nurses) are also in a position of trust in that they have access to prescription forms and information that could enable a nurse to create a false prescription that appears to be genuine,” the tribunal said.
Ms Goult was disqualified from applying as a registered health practitioner for two years.
‘Never drive again’: Pensioner who killed woman banned from roads
He’s had a licence since he was 16, but this pensioner will never again be behind the wheel after killing a woman while reversing.
ED nurse fired after sickening DV attack
A nurse who viciously bashed his wife in front of a child has failed in his bid to return to work as it would damage the reputation of the profession, a court heard.