Massive haul of NHS drugs ‘vanish’ from Harmoni headquarters in St Pancras Hospital

Published: 25th November, 2010
by TOM FOOT

AN investigation has been launched after a massive supply of an addictive drug vanished without a trace.

Camden’s out-of-hours doctors provider Harmoni has called in the police after its delivery of diazepam was stolen from its headquarters in St Pancras Hospital.

The tranquilliser is prescribed for anxiety and insomnia but is also a highly addictive “downer” popular on the drugs black market, used as an alternative to heroin.

Harmoni’s assistant manager Jennette Maciejczek, in a memo to NHS bosses across north central London, leaked to the New Journal on Monday, said: “It has come to our attention that full boxes of drugs are missing and they cannot be accounted for. 

“A Serious Untoward Investigation is being carried out to ascertain what has happened to the drugs. Because of the seriousness of the incident the police will be contacted and we will be installing CCTV into all the areas where the drug cassettes are stored.”

She added: “We will also be checking drug cassettes on delivery to ensure they are not being tampered with in transit”.

Crates of diazepam are delivered by NHS vans each month to a safe depository in St Pancras Hospital, before being distributed to pharmacies and hospitals across Camden.

Diazepam – which was launched by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche in 1963 – was once one of the world’s most widely prescribed drugs. 

Now addicts are combining it with strong alcohol or methadone in a potentially lethal cocktail, particularly to ease the effects of withdrawal from crack cocaine, the charity DrugScope warned.

“Drug users face a high risk of overdose when using the drug in combination with other drugs such as methadone and alcohol,” a DrugScope spokesman said.

Nicknamed “blues” or “vallies”, diazepam is growing in popularity among drug addicts as an alternative to heroin. Side effects include aggression, agitation and anxiety. 

Last month, the New Journal reported how NHS Camden’s Medicines Management Team had raised concerns that strict regulations introduced to monitor the supply of lethal drugs in the wake of the Dr Harold Shipman serial killings were being flouted.

Controlled drugs (CDs) were routinely being poorly accounted for and were being stolen, the report found.

New Department of Health regulations were introduced in January 2007 when NHS Camden Medicines Management Team was set up to monitor all controlled drugs.

In a report to board members, NHS Camden’s deputy controlled drugs accountable officer criticised GPs, pharmacists and private providers for not properly following guidelines.

Harmoni Medical Director Dr Bruce Websdale confirmed the non-opiate drugs had been reported missing, adding: “Our governance procedures alerted us to this fact very quickly and we have instigated an immediate internal investigation into the matter. We have notified both the police and NHS City and Hackney, the lead PCT for the commissioning of the out-of-hours service. 

“Once the investigation is complete, we will ensure all staff are made aware of any changes to protocols.

“During the past couple of months we have put in place numerous quality improvement measures to ensure a safe and efficient service for patients.”