Latest news with #NicholaHawesAestheticClinic
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Aesthetics nurse was 'stockpiling' medications, court hears
An aesthetics nurse was ordering such quantities of prescription-only medications it suggested she was stockpiling them, a court has heard. Nichola Hawes, 49, is on trial for alleged fraud and selling or supplying medicines, including drugs for weight loss and Botox, without proper prescriptions. She runs Nichola Hawes Aesthetic Clinic on Groomsport Road in Bangor, County Down, and faces 31 charges, including fraud by false representation. Giving evidence at at Downpatrick Crown Court on Thursday, Department of Health (DoH) pharmacist Aaron McKendry said: "The quantity may have indicated that it was not solely for the person it was prescribed for." Mr McKendry that said while the clinic could have held medicines for specific patients or clients to be given to them during treatment, the way they had been ordered and the quantities found "suggested that they were for stock". Mr McKendry said that a month before a box of medications had been delivered to Ms Hawes' client Jordan Cairns, he had been doing routine checks on private prescriptions at a specific pharmacy when he noticed an unusual amount of B12 prescriptions had been ordered by Ms Hawes. Further inquiries at another pharmacy established that medications being ordered by Ms Hawes were being delivered to her clinic rather than to the patient, while a search of Ms Hawes' clinic uncovered boxes of medications without labels. He explained that under the Human Medicines Act and associated regulations, a prescription-only medication should have a patient's name on it, who and when it was ordered by, and the dispensing pharmacist. Many of the medicines found at Ms Hawes' clinic had no such labelling and while some of them did, Mr McKendry explained that under the Human Medicines Act it was only doctors and dentists who are allowed to keep a stock of medicines, not prescribing nurses. The trial continues.
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Nichola Hawes trial: Aesthetics nurse was 'stockpiling' medications, court hears
An aesthetics nurse was ordering such quantities of prescription-only medications it suggested she was stockpiling them, a court has Hawes, 49, is on trial for alleged fraud and selling or supplying medicines, including drugs for weight loss and Botox, without proper runs Nichola Hawes Aesthetic Clinic on Groomsport Road in Bangor, County Down, and faces 31 charges, including fraud by false evidence at at Downpatrick Crown Court on Thursday, Department of Health (DoH) pharmacist Aaron McKendry said: "The quantity may have indicated that it was not solely for the person it was prescribed for." Mr McKendry that said while the clinic could have held medicines for specific patients or clients to be given to them during treatment, the way they had been ordered and the quantities found "suggested that they were for stock".Mr McKendry said that a month before a box of medications had been delivered to Ms Hawes' client Jordan Cairns, he had been doing routine checks on private prescriptions at a specific pharmacy when he noticed an unusual amount of B12 prescriptions had been ordered by Ms inquiries at another pharmacy established that medications being ordered by Ms Hawes were being delivered to her clinic rather than to the patient, while a search of Ms Hawes' clinic uncovered boxes of medications without explained that under the Human Medicines Act and associated regulations, a prescription-only medication should have a patient's name on it, who and when it was ordered by, and the dispensing of the medicines found at Ms Hawes' clinic had no such labelling and while some of them did, Mr McKendry explained that under the Human Medicines Act it was only doctors and dentists who are allowed to keep a stock of medicines, not prescribing trial continues.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Items seized from aesthetic clinic over intent to supply concerns
A Medicines Enforcement Officer from the Department of Health (DH) has told the trial of an aesthetics nurse that a search warrant was used to seize a number of items from her clinic because of concerns of intent to supply. Nichola Hawes, 49, is on trial for alleged fraud and selling or supplying medicines, including weight-loss drugs and Botox, without proper prescriptions. She runs Nichola Hawes Aesthetic Clinic on Groomsport Road in Bangor, and faces 31 charges, including fraud by false representation. Warren McKee, a Medicines Enforcement Officer with the DH told the jury of six men and six women at Downpatrick Crown Court, that on the 28 November 2022, he seized a number of medicinal items from the clinic. This was done under the concern that they were not going to be used for the person that they were prescribed to. Following the search, in February 2023, Ms Hawes took part in an interview with the Medicines Regulatory Group - accompanied by her solicitor - and this interview was relayed to the court. The court heard Ms Hawes was asked during the meeting if it was the case that she was creating a stock of prescription only medicines - so that people can walk in off the street and be treated there and then in her clinic - to which Nichola Hawes replied: 'No comment.' During the meeting Ms Hawes said the majority of her clients came to her for Botox and that she had a well-established business. She said if her clients did not go through with orders such as Botox the order was destroyed. She also added that a new patient requesting Botox would always have to wait at least one day before receiving their treatment. Ms Hawes was asked if she could explain why a prescription had been written for a woman called Lauren Caproni, if Ms Caproni did not receive any treatment after filling in an online questionnaire for the self-administering weight-loss drug, Ozempic. She was also asked why would she prescribe something for somebody if they had not asked for it or received it – and questioned as to why she had a back log of Ozempic in her clinic. To each of these questions and several others, it was relayed to the court that Ms Hawes had answered no comment. The jury heard that Ms Hawes said she had made one mistake in relation to client Jordan Cairns - when she accidently put another client's prescription under her name, but she added that this was an administrative error. Ms Hawes said she had full records and notes, was widely known and respected and at no point had any patient been at risk. The jury also heard from a second Medicines Enforcement Officer, Jacqueline Pyper. She told the court she had visited the home of a former client of Ms Hawes, Louise Abott, who had previously ordered two weight loss pens from Ms Hawes. Ms Abott showed Ms Pyper her previous orders, which came in a box with someone else's name on it. She also confirmed to Ms Pyper that she did not ask Ms Hawes to order a third pen for her. The trial continues.
BBC News
12-02-2025
- BBC News
Items seized from aesthetic clinic over intent to supply concerns
A Medicines Enforcement Officer from the Department of Health (DH) has told the trial of an aesthetics nurse that a search warrant was used to seize a number of items from her clinic because of concerns of intent to Hawes, 49, is on trial for alleged fraud and selling or supplying medicines, including weight-loss drugs and Botox, without proper runs Nichola Hawes Aesthetic Clinic on Groomsport Road in Bangor, and faces 31 charges, including fraud by false McKee, a Medicines Enforcement Officer with the DH told the jury of six men and six women at Downpatrick Crown Court, that on the 28 November 2022, he seized a number of medicinal items from the clinic. This was done under the concern that they were not going to be used for the person that they were prescribed to. 'No comment' Following the search, in February 2023, Ms Hawes took part in an interview with the Medicines Regulatory Group - accompanied by her solicitor - and this interview was relayed to the court heard Ms Hawes was asked during the meeting if it was the case that she was creating a stock of prescription only medicines - so that people can walk in off the street and be treated there and then in her clinic - to which Nichola Hawes replied: 'No comment.'During the meeting Ms Hawes said the majority of her clients came to her for Botox and that she had a well-established business. She said if her clients did not go through with orders such as Botox the order was destroyed. She also added that a new patient requesting Botox would always have to wait at least one day before receiving their Hawes was asked if she could explain why a prescription had been written for a woman called Lauren Caproni, if Ms Caproni did not receive any treatment after filling in an online questionnaire for the self-administering weight-loss drug, Ozempic. 'Administrative error' She was also asked why would she prescribe something for somebody if they had not asked for it or received it – and questioned as to why she had a back log of Ozempic in her each of these questions and several others, it was relayed to the court that Ms Hawes had answered no jury heard that Ms Hawes said she had made one mistake in relation to client Jordan Cairns - when she accidently put another client's prescription under her name, but she added that this was an administrative error. Ms Hawes said she had full records and notes, was widely known and respected and at no point had any patient been at jury also heard from a second Medicines Enforcement Officer, Jacqueline told the court she had visited the home of a former client of Ms Hawes, Louise Abott, who had previously ordered two weight loss pens from Ms Abott showed Ms Pyper her previous orders, which came in a box with someone else's name on it. She also confirmed to Ms Pyper that she did not ask Ms Hawes to order a third pen for trial continues.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Nurse prescribed using other clients' details, court told
An aesthetics nurse from County Down gave prescriptions to clients using the details of other clients, a court has heard. Nichola Hawes, 49, is on trial for alleged fraud and selling or supplying medicines, including weight-loss drugs and botox, without proper prescriptions. Downpatrick Crown Court heard evidence from four women who said prescriptions were filled out using their details but they had not asked for, nor received, medicines. Ms Hawes runs Nichola Hawes Aesthetic Clinic on Groomsport Road in Bangor, and faces 31 charges, including selling or supplying prescription drugs, possessing medicinal products with intent to supply and fraud by false representation. Lauren Caproni told the jury she had filled in an online questionnaire for the self-administering weight-loss drug Ozempic and it had been approved. Ms Caproni said the cost of was between £190-250 a pen. She said she cancelled a face-to-face consultation at Ms Hawes' clinic that had been scheduled for 6 April 2022. Ms Caproni said a prescription had been filled out in her name on 16 March 2022, three weeks before the proposed consultation. The jury was told the online questionnaire by the clinic stated medicines would not not be prescribed until after an in-person consultation. Ms Caproni was asked by the prosecution if she had asked "for a prescription or completed a consultation with the defendant to request that prescription?". Ms Caproni said she had not. The court then heard that a box of Ozempic pens, with the name Lauren Caproni scored out, was given to another client a few weeks later. The jury heard Ms Hawes' clinic provided "advance skin treatment, aesthetics treatments, anti-wrinkle injections, lip fillers and fat dissolving injections". A Medicines Regulatory Group investigation began in November 2022 when they were alerted to a "potential breach" of regulations. The breach related to a box containing vials of B12, Hyaluronidase and Ozempic pens that were being delivered to Jordan Cairns, whose mother, Janice Cairns, had obtained three pens from Ms Hawes' clinic several months earlier. Janice Cairns told the jury that after she and her daughter had their consultation in April 2022, they were given a box with three Ozempic injections inside but that she noticed "straight away…there was someone else's name" on the box but it had been "scribbled out with black pen". Janice Cairns said she received two more Ozempic pens in October 2022 but had not asked for nor received any further treatments of medicines from the clinic. The jury was told there had been a prescription of three boxes of Rybelsus, a weight-loss tablet, with Janice Cairns details filled in and signed by Ms Hawes. Ms Cairns told the court she had not asked for that nor had she ever received any of the tablets. Louise Abbott told the court she had been a client at the clinic between December 2021 and some time in October 2022. She confirmed that in March and April 2022 she ordered and paid £500 for two weight-loss pens but when she received the box it was not in her name. The jury also heard that in September 2022 there was a prescription for another weight-loss pen, signed by Ms Hawes with Ms Abbott's details, but she told the court she did not ask nor receive that prescription. A fourth women, Lorraine Rogan, told the jury she had been a client of Ms Hawes since 2019, initially receiving B12 injections that she ordered and also ordered two Ozempic pens in 2021 and another pen in May 2022. The prosecution told the jury that other prescriptions for Ozempic pens as well as Botox had been ordered in her name without her request or knowledge. The defence put to Ms Rogan that she had received the other prescriptions of Ozempic pens but Ms Rogan said she only received three pens. It is the prosecution's case that Ms Hawes, a prescribing nurse, supplied different types of prescription only medicines including weight loss drugs, facial fillers and drugs used for local anaesthesia. The fraud offences accuse Ms Hawes of filling in prescriptions with the names of people "for whom no treatment was being given". The prosecution told the court the case is not about whether any physical harm had been caused but "this case is about the defendant not adhering to the rules and regulations around the prescribing, possessing and supply of prescription only medicines". The trial continues.
