A care home manager was caught neglecting and mistreating an elderly woman via a hidden camera, and left her isolated and confined to her bed, a hearing has heard.
Former manager of Rambla Nursing Home, Heather McCausland, was accused of seriously failing the elderly woman, known as Resident A and who started living at the home in 2012.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) heard that between 2012 and 2015, Person B raised a variety of concerns, including directly to Mrs McCausland, about how Resident A was being mistreated at the home, Yorkshire Live writes.
Person B then installed a secret camera to record the interactions of staff with Resident A and complained to the police and Care Quality Commission (CQC) after watching the footage.
A CQC inspection took place, unannounced, and the home, in Scarborough, was rated "inadequate". The CQC identified areas of concern and discovered that Mrs McCausland, as registered manager of the home, was personally accountable.
The CQC removed her registration as the registered manager of the home on December 19 in 2017. Mrs McCausland was suspended on November 11 in 2016 and resigned in April 2017. The home did not carry out an internal investigation.
Mrs McCausland admitted the facts relating to all five charges including failure to provide adequate care to Resident A, failure to provide adequate managerial oversight in relation to Resident A's care and failure to ensure that an adequate standard of care was provided to residents generally at the home.
Among the other failures, the registered nurse failed to risk assess and/or consider the effect of paint fumes on Resident A and failed to ensure medication was administered correctly.
She was given a conditions of practice order for nine months following the misconduct hearing which took place between February 28 and March 2 this year. Mrs McCausland breached regulations of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
The NMC said Mrs McCausland’s conduct "fell far short of what would have been expected of a registered nurse" and has brought the profession "into disrepute".
In a report published recently, it said: "The failures of Mrs McCausland in the care of Resident A and the other Resident’s in her care, put vulnerable residents safety at risk.
"Her conduct would be seen as deplorable by fellow practitioners and would damage the trust that the public places in the profession. Acting with care and keeping patients safe is integral to the standards expected of a registered nurse and central to the code, which this nurse has fallen seriously short of.
"It is submitted that the Registrant’s actions in charge 1 to Charge 5 amounts to serious misconduct."
The panel imposed a conditions of practice order for a period of nine months, meaning Mrs McCausland’s name on the NMC register will show that she is subject to such an order and anyone who asks about her registration will be informed of it. The conditions of the order include keeping a reflective practice journal and keeping the NMC informed about anywhere she is working.
Mrs McCausland, who used to work at St Catherine’s Hospice afterwards, must also allow the case officer to share, as necessary, details about her performance, compliance and/or progress.
A spokesperson from Saint Catherine’s said: “Mrs McCausland is no longer employed at Saint Catherine’s, having left shortly after the Fitness to Practise committee meeting was held.
“It is important to note that the issues raised by the committee do not relate to Mrs McCausland’s time as a nurse at Saint Catherine’s, but to a number of years beforehand .”
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