A woman has been banned from entering hospitals in Kent after a campaign of harassment against NHS staff.

Jackie Palmer, of Spenser Road, Herne Bay, is not now allowed inside any NHS building “except in the case of a genuine personal medical emergency or one relating to her husband”.

And neither is Palmer allowed to contact NHS staff.

Failure to comply with the restraining order could result in a £5,000 fine or five years in prison.

Palmer pleaded guilty at Canterbury Magistrates’ Court to a campaign of threats and intimidation, both in person and over the telephone, against NHS staff based all over Kent.

Two of the victims of her campaign of abuse were named in court as Claire Newington and Susan Ray, who work at Durham House mental health unit in Canterbury Road, Herne Bay.

They had been targeted, both face-to-face and via abusive phone calls, on occasions between October, last year, and April.

The investigation into 58-year-old Palmer was led by the Kent and Medway NHS Trust’s security firm Local Security Management Specialist.

Erville Millar, chief executive of the trust, said: “Any abuse of NHS staff will not be tolerated.

“This case involved sustained abuse of a serious nature and we are pleased that our staff are now able to provide high quality services without the fear of this woman being aggressive and threatening.”

Magistrates instructed that Palmer’s ban was to have effect “until further notice”.