A doctor's receptionist used confidential patient's records to obtain drugs for herself.

Michelle Chapman, 23, targeted patients who shared the same surname as her before forging prescriptions.

While she worked at two doctors surgeries in Brighton for more than two years, Chapman managed to obtain diamorphine, also known as heroin, cocaine, and tranquillisers.

She would arrange to collect the drugs but on one occasion her plans went wrong and a prescription for diamorphine tablets were delivered by mistake to a 76-year-old man's home.

Fortunately he did not take the potentially deadly medication.

Chapman was eventually snared when a sharp-eyed member of staff at a branch of Boots suspected the doctor's signature on a prescription was forged and contacted the Pavilion surgery, Old Steine, Brighton, where the 23-year-old was working.

Appearing at Brighton Magistrates’ Court Chapman admitted 12 charges committed in October and November last year. They included five offences of fraudulently using forged prescriptions and four charges of making a forged prescription to obtain a scheduled drug.

She also admitted possessing the tranquillisers diazepam and temazepam, which are classed as class C drugs, as well as having cannabis.

Chapman, of Warren Avenue, Woodingdean, Brighton, asked for 34 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Libby Clarke, prosecuting, told the magistrates her actions represented a gross breach of trust as an employee of the doctors' surgeries.

Referring to the diamorphine sent to the elderly patient, Miss Clarke said it was extremely fortunate that he contacted his doctors surgery when he received the drugs and did not take the tablets.

Miss Clarke said patients could have been harmed if they had taken medication received by mistake. She said: "It could have had very serious consequences for a number of patients if anything had gone wrong."

The court was told that Chapman, who has no previous convictions, was employed for three months at the Pavilion Surgery and for two years at the Seven Dials Medical Centre, Montpelier Crescent, Brighton.

Miss Clarke said during that time she had access to patients records.

She said Chapman looked up patients with the same surname as her and used their details, after changing the date of birth to ensure the prescriptions were free.

She also changed the address to enable her to obtain the drugs.

Miss Clarke said Chapman managed to obtain a variety of different drugs and medication with the forged prescriptions, ranging from diamorphine to a treatment for her skin.

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust and the two doctors' surgeries declined to comment.

Magistrates ruled the case was so serious their powers were insufficient to deal with the case and Chapman will be sentenced at Lewes Crown Court at a later date.

The maximum sentence for the fraud offences is ten years in jail.