Sunshine Coast nurse pleads guilty to stealing fentanyl from the emergency department

An experienced Sunshine Coast nurse and mum-of-three stole drugs from a hospital while on shift in what was described as a traumatic time in her life.

Rachelle Maree Ryan faced court for stealing fentanyl from her workplace at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

An experienced nurse admitted in her resignation letter to stealing fentanyl while on shift at the Sunshine Coast’s largest hospital, it has been revealed in court.

Rachelle Maree Ryan, 41, plead guilty in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Wednesday, April 5, to one count of possessing dangerous drugs and one count of stealing by persons in the public service.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Brendan Newman said Ryan, a mother of three, was employed by Queensland Health at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital as a registered nurse at the time of the offence and, as a part of her duties, had to administer drugs to patients for surgery and pain relief.

Sergeant Newman said that on Saturday January 29, 2022, another registered nurse also working in the ED spoke to the nursing unit manager with concerns about Ryan’s behaviour and said they saw Ryan place fentanyl in her pocket.

As Ryan was confronted by the nurse manager, Sergeant Newman said Ryan ducked into a cubicle and went to dispose of it in a plastic sharps bin but was observed doing so.

“The defendant has discarded it from her pocket from her scrubs into the sharps container,” he said.

Police were then called by the nurse manager.

“Detectives attended the hospital,” Sergeant Newman said.

“During the interview (Ryan) denied any involvement in stealing the fentanyl, stating that she followed hospital policy and processes.”

A subsequent search was done on the plastic sharps bin where the fentanyl was located.

Ryan was suspended from work and on July 20, 2022 she resigned from her position, and in her resignation letter acknowledged that she had stolen the fentanyl.

“She admitted that she knew she was stealing,” Sergeant Newman said.

Sergeant Newman said it was not alleged that she had given any patient an incorrect dose of fentanyl or any patients’ care was compromised.

Ryan was working in the ED at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

Ryan’s defence lawyer Ken MacKenzie said her decades-long and unblemished career in nursing and recent trauma should be factored in by Magistrate Raelene Ellis.

“This offending behaviour of hers was a result of a combination of events in her personal life and her work life,” he said.

“In the lead up to it the emergency department had been unable to save several children, including a young baby, that had come through and Ms Ryan had, in the years before that, had suffered a series of miscarriages.

“Her mother had recently been diagnosed with cancer, which was particularly confronting because her father had died from cancer when she was about 10 years old.

“In hindsight, she has recognised that she wasn’t coping.”

Mr MacKenzie said Ryan had often been involved with the training of staff at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

Ms Ellis, in her sentencing, said she took on the lack of criminal history, early guilty plea and other mitigating factors.

“The offending in and of itself it quite serious in where you were a nurse in a position of trust in the public service,” she said.

Ms Ellis said it appeared that the prosecution had actually started after Ryan had sent in her resignation letter.

“It might very well be the case that the prosecution would not have been able to occur if it was not for your admissions in that resignation letter,” she said.

“I can accept, as stated by your solicitor, that this is out of character offending.”

Ms Ellis did not record a conviction and fined Ryan $700.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast nurse pleads guilty to stealing fentanyl from the emergency department