11 Aug 2023
An RCVS disciplinary committee has heard how a woman “desperate” for help with her husband’s pain sought assistance from a veterinary nurse, only to then report her for her actions several months later.
Vet Times
Job TitleA veterinary nurse has been suspended from practice for three months after she was found to have supplied controlled drugs to a friend.
Melanie Jane Herdman’s conduct came to light after the friend who had originally requested them for her husband reported it to the practice.
An RCVS disciplinary panel described Miss Herdman’s actions as “misguided”, but said they represented an isolated incident in what had previously been an unblemished career.
A four-day hearing was held to consider the case that dates back to December 2020, when Miss Herdman was working for Galedin Veterinary Limited in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
A report of the hearing, which has now been published on the college’s website, contained extracts of a message exchange between Miss Herdman and the complainant, who wrote: “I have a broken husband. I think he needs your special cocktail.”
After being told he had taken gabapentin and codeine, Miss Herdman wrote she would bring tramadol and diazepam, before giving advice about maximum dosages later in the same exchange.
The complainant subsequently reported the incident to the practice in late May 2021. It was referred to the college a few days later and Miss Herdman was dismissed on the grounds of gross misconduct, following an internal inquiry.
The report said the matter was also referred to Northumbria Police, although they took no action.
The complainant told the committee she had asked for the drugs because she was “desperate” about the pain her husband was experiencing and its impact on his well-being, but later reported it after reflecting on the potential “damage” such actions could cause.
She also acknowledged her own role in the case and that her reporting of it might be seen as vindictive, because she had subsequently separated from her husband who was now in a relationship with Miss Herdman.
Meanwhile, the complainant’s husband told the hearing he only took one diazepam tablet, as he found it had no effect.
Miss Herdman was charged both with supplying controlled drugs – diazepam, tramadol and/or gabapentin – and indicating that she would do so in relation to the former two substances, as well as providing dosage advice.
Although she did not attend the hearing, she did make written admissions to supplying diazepam, which she claimed to possess on prescription for her own dog, intention to supply diazepam and/or tramadol, plus providing advice on dosage.
Those matters were found to be proven by the committee, who also concluded they amounted to disgraceful conduct in a professional respect.
However, she denied supplying tramadol and/or gabapentin, which were both found not proven, as the committee concluded there was insufficient evidence to show she had done so.
A character testimony submitted by a colleague of Miss Herdman also described her as “an exceptionally hard working nurse with excellent clinical skills.”
She argued the case was “a one-off” arising from her wish to help others, adding: “It would be tragic to lose such an exceptional nurse.”
The committee concluded it would be disproportionate to remove Miss Herdman from the register, but said a three-month suspension reflected both the gravity of her misconduct and the circumstances in which it occurred.
