A NURSE accused of stealing tranquilisers from the hospital where she worked could be struck off for "dishonest conduct" at a disciplinary hearing today.

Sarah Elizabeth McQuistan, from Barrow,  had been working in the accident and emergency department at Furness General Hospital in March 2014 when the theft is said to have taken place.

She is accused of taking a quantity of the drug lorazepam - sometimes used to sedate aggressive patients - for personal use from the Dalton Lane hospital.

The suspended staff nurse, who is thought to be aged 34, also received a police caution for the burglary of a domestic property in Barrow on November 28 that year.

Ms McQuistan, who is no longer employed by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS FoundationTrust, which runs the hospital, has been ordered to attend a panel hearing over both allegations at the headquarters of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, in London, today.

The hearing is expected to last two days.

The NMC hearing notice states: "In light of the above, your fitness to practice is impaired by reason of your misconduct in respect of charges 1 and 2, and your caution in respect of charge 3."

Lorazepam tablets are used to treat anxiety disorders and insomnia and cause temporary amnesia while in effect.

They can be addictive and are not prescribed medicinally for more than four weeks at a time.

If the panel of experts concludes Ms McQuistan is guilty of dishonest conduct, she faces being struck off the national nursing register and banned from practicing for good.