A nurse who worked at the Cygnet Hospital in Stevenage has been suspended for 12 months after a misconduct panel found he stole medication.
Noah Akakpo was working an overnight shift as a night unit coordinator at the hospital on 17-18 December 2020 when he asked a colleague for keys to the medication cupboard.
According to the panel hearing, CCTV footage “appeared” to show Akakpo, who worked for MSI Agency, “put a blister pack of medication into his pocket”.
The misconduct panel concluded on the balance of probabilities that he had stolen a pack of Felodipine, which is used to treat high blood pressure.
The incident came to light when a colleague took a stock check and found that medication was missing. The hospital manager immediately referred the matter to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Akakpo, who had worked at Cygnet Hospital since 2007, denied stealing the medication and said he had gone into the cabinet to “refresh my knowledge” of medications. He said he was “not a thief” and had only taken instruction manuals from medications to look at.
The panel’s report said: “At the time of the incident, Mr Akakpo was a senior nurse in a managerial role with authorised access to the medication cupboard.
“He took advantage of this position by taking medication, namely Felodipine, which he knew was intended solely for patient use.
“As a result, the medication was no longer available for administration, creating a potential risk of harm to a patient whose blood pressure could have increased.
“The removal of the medication by Mr Akakpo required a prescription from a doctor to source additional stock, placing additional strain on staff and hospital resources.
“Mr Akakpo’s conduct was morally wrong and wholly incompatible with the standards expected of a registered nurse, and his explanations were found to be inadequate.
“The panel determined that Mr Akakpo’s actions amounted to misconduct by breaching fundamental tenets of the nursing profession and undermining public confidence in the profession.”
The panel decided to suspend him from nursing for 12 months, with the suspension to be reviewed after that time has elapsed.
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