A CARE home nurse could be struck off over claims he injected himself with drugs while looking after vulnerable elderly residents.

Craig Campbell, who worked at Cochrane Care Home, in Johnstone, was last week hauled before a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) disciplinary hearing over the allegations.

In one of the charges, he is accused of taking a patient’s end-of-life medication for his own use.

Mr Campbell, who is no longer employed at the home, has already admitted being in possession of prescription drug Levomepromazine, which is typically used as a sedative for dying patients, “without any clinical justification.”

The five-day hearing also probed other charges relating to his conduct at work.

The NWC has the power to strike him off the nursing register if any of the charges are proven.

That means he would be unable to work as a nurse in future.

Mr Campbell, from Johnstone, had already been given an interim suspension order prior to the disciplinary hearing.

One charge, relating to the drugs theft, states: “Your actions were dishonest in that you knew you had no clinical justification for possessing this medication but took it for your own use.”

Mr Campbell, 40, is also accused of looking after vulnerable patients in the care home while under the influence of drugs.

The most serious charge is that he injected himself in a care home toilet.

The alleged incidents are all said to have taken place on November 28, 2018.

Mr Campbell’s hearing took place before the NMC’s Fitness to Practise Committee.

It probes cases where a nurse or midwife’s fitness to practise is in question.

If the allegations are proven, Mr Campbell could also have sanctions placed on his registration.

The NMC’s judgement is expected to be made public before the end of this month.

Cochrane Care Home was placed in administration by previous owner Silverline Care earlier this year and taken over by new owners the Anavo Group.

This is not the first time Mr Campbell has been investigated by the NMC.

In 2011, he admitted forging patients’ prescriptions in order to steal a large quantity of the prescription drug diazepam.

Mr Campbell also admitted stealing another sedative – midazolam – for his own use while working at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital but the NMC allowed him to keep his licence to practise.

Instead, he was given a five-year caution order after a tribunal ruled he was guilty of misconduct.