Drugs mistakenly given to resident who later died were stored incorrectly at Gloucester care home, court hears
Jane Barnard, 67, denies the manslaughter of Derek Davies, 75, who lived at the Gloucester care home where she was employed
Last updated 4th Dec 2025
The drugs mistakenly given to a man who later died were incorrectly stored at the care home in which he lived, a court has heard.
Jane Barnard, 67, denies the manslaughter of Derek Davies, 75, who lived at the Gloucester care home where she was employed and died on September 8 2021.
Mr Davies died after Barnard mistakenly gave him medication prescribed for another patient, Jason Dodsworth, including 90mg of slow-release morphine.
A trial at Gloucester Crown Court heard the morphine, a controlled drug, had been stored in the wrong place when it was retrieved by Barnard.
The controlled drugs at Wheatridge Court care home were meant to be locked away in a designated room and only administered with two members of staff present.
However, Mr Dodsworth's morphine had been incorrectly stored in his bathroom cabinet.
While Barnard was not involved in storing the medication, the court heard she had failed to make the correct checks and follow procedure before administering the controlled drug.
Crucially, she also took the drugs to the wrong resident, Mr Davies, who had been sitting in a communal area of the home.
Andrew Langdon KC, defending, said: "These controlled drugs were not, in fact, being properly controlled.
"There had been no proper risk assessment of Jason Dodsworth's drugs, two others had failed to spot the morphine when booking the drugs in.
"We do not blame them for what went wrong, everyone was under pressure, these are hard-working people who are not paid much and they do their very best.
"It seems that standards, usually high in the home no doubt, had slipped.
"But it is not the manager or the home on trial, it is Jane Barnard."
Barnard, of Longlevens, Gloucester, was employed as a care worker at Wheatridge Court in Abbeydale, Gloucester, where Mr Davies was a resident when he died.
She has pleaded guilty to a second charge that she wilfully neglected Mr Davies between September 5 and September 9 that year by failing to disclose she had wrongfully administered morphine.
The court heard that on the morning of September 6, Barnard erroneously gave him Mr Dodsworth's medication.
Having soon realised her mistake, she disposed of the drugs Mr Davies should have received and pretended the medication she did give him, intended for Mr Dodsworth, had been dropped down the sink.
Barnard said she was in a "state" and could not bring herself to tell colleagues or medical professionals what she had done, even after Mr Davies fell ill and was taken to hospital.
On September 8, two days after the incident, Barnard rang Kim Jones, deputy manager of the home, to tell her she had given Mr Davies the wrong medication.
When the care home contacted the hospital, it was confirmed Mr Davies had died that morning.
Mr Langdon suggested Barnard might have expected Mr Davies to fall ill, but could not have foreseen his death.
The original cause of death was documented as a brainstem stroke, but it was later understood the actual cause of Mr Davies' death was a consequence of morphine toxicity.
At the time of the incident Barnard had been employed as a care worker at Wheatridge Court for 32 years.
"Until that moment, she had led a life that would make any of us proud," Mr Langdon added.
"She made a terrible mistake."
The jury has retired to consider its verdict.