Nurse denies shredding the evidence

A nurse accused of holding open surgeries and writing prescriptions while the doctor in charge was on holiday has denied asking staff to shred some of the evidence.

Glynis Cottam (57) was handed pre-signed blank prescriptions and medical certificates by Dr John Gray to fill out for his patients at the Crofton Street Surgery, Oldham, a hearing was told yesterday.

Giving evidence before the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Glynis Cottam (57) denied asking the practice manager to shred the pre-signed medical certificates when Oldham PCT investigators searched the practice on May 5.

She said: “I was having lunch when my mobile phone went off, and it was the practice manager.

“She was in a state of panic, saying that someone from the PCT had turned up at the surgery and asked if she was aware of any pre-signed prescriptions in the building.

“At that time I said to her ‘there are some pre-signed prescriptions in my left hand drawer’, and I did ask her to remove them.

“My rationale was that I could not have pre-signed documents where anybody could take them or use them. But I did not tell her to shred them. I had no reason to shred anything, because two days prior to that I admitted to the pharmacist that I used pre-signed prescriptions.”

It was said that Dr Gray could not cope with the practice’s 5,000 patients after his partner retired, and he asked Cottam for help.

Cottam told the panel Dr Gray used to encourage her to sign repeat prescriptions, ignoring her protests that it was wrong.

She said: “With repeat prescriptions, Dr Gray would ask me to help sign them. I said it was not right to do that. At that time he said at the end of the day his signature is on there, he is ultimately responsible and it would save a lot of time.”

James Gilderthorpe, defending, said that nobody had ever officially set out the precise remit for Cottam’s job of nurse practitioner.

He said: “There seems to be no national guidelines at all.”

Cottam, of Oldham, admits failing properly to complete written records of patient consultation undertaken between January 31 and February 6, 2006 and completing and issuing pre-signed prescriptions and medical certificates to patients on May 2.

The hearing was adjourned after running out of time. A date for the resumption has yet to be set.

Dr Gray was struck off by the General Medical Council earlier this year for allowing Cottam to see patients and issue them with prescriptions.