A greedy care home boss stole thousands from vulnerable care home residents while staff kindly used their own low wages to provide for toiletries and haircuts, a court heard. Joanne Whalen, 51, took nearly £24,000 from residents, some of whom were suffering with dementia, Alzheimers, and Parkinsons in an effort to pay off her own large debts.
Her thieving was only discovered when a member of the care staff confided in a director of the home during an unannounced visit that they were 'worried' about some of the residents not having any money, and some staff had paid for essentials out of their own low wages. The director then confronted Whalen to show her the safe, where the money and financial records should have been kept, but she refused to. She was suspended as manager of the home within days.
Manchester Minshull Street court heard that these offences took place while she was managing Firs Hall Care Home in Failsworth over a three and a half year period. She has now been sent to jail for 18 months, with recorder Paul Hodgkinson telling her: "You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself."
READ MORE: Hauled before court in Greater Manchester last week
The offending started in September 2017 when Damon Rourke put his father, Brian, into the home. Damon was told by Whalen that the cost of care was over £200 per week, with Damon paying extra for haircuts for his dad. Crucially, he was given receipts as a proof of the payments, prosecutor Andrew Mackintosh told the court.
A few months after this Damon received a letter from debt collectors saying he owed the home money, but he was instructed by Whalen to ignore this. However, he later received a letter from bailiffs for which Whalen said she would take care of it. But when the care home operator asked her about this, as Damon could prove he'd paid because of the receipts, she said they must be fake receipts and that she'd never met him in the first place.
The Covid pandemic then hit in early 2020, with money now transferred directly into her bank account to be given to residents, instead of the cash being kept in a safe. This included a payment of £2,800 in February 2021 which she claimed had been allocated to the residents.
Her lies began to unravel when a director from the care home company made an unannounced visit in April 2021, the court heard. They asked Whalen to open the safe to see the financial records, but Whalen claimed she did not and could not get the key.
It was after this a member of staff raised concerns with the director, saying some residents didn't seem to have any money and could not buy essentials for themselves. "Some needs were met through the kindness of the staff," Mr Mackintosh said.
The next day the director was able to access the safe, where only £90 was found from an expected £1,680, and the financial records were 'incomplete'. Whalen was quickly suspended in May 2021.
The next month Whalen rang the director and said she had some of that £1,680 left in her account and gave back £600, saying it belonged to four residents. When she was arrested in early July 2021 she told police she had given back all that she had and that she had tried to 'borrow' some money from the home as she had racked up £45,000 worth of debt through mortgage arrears, council tax bills, credit cards and purchases from catalogues.
Whalen was then charged and pleaded guilty to stealing £21,966 over three and a half years from the home, and one count of fraud for taking the £1,680 which should have been used to buy essentials for residents. Mr Mackintosh told the court that the residents finances had been "abused" by Whalen who was "in a position of trust", "I only hope it's not had a detrimental effect on the patients health," he added.
Andrew Marsh, defending Whalen, said: "She's never been in trouble with the law until now and she is facing very grave matters. She understands she engaged in dishonest behaviour over a period of time when she was in a position of trust. The seriousness cannot be understated and she does not seek to hide from that. She's very aware of the distress caused to others."
During the mitigation recorder Hodgkinson told the court Whalen's actions were "despicable". He went on to say as he jailed Whalen, of Droylsden Road, Newton Heath, for 18 months for one count of theft and one of fraud: "You committed this offence while you were the manager of a care home, caring for the most vulnerable in our society.
"You did nothing of the sort and did quite the opposite. Rather than caring for them you stole from them and caused them undoubted extra stress through entirely selfish actions.
"You should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself. Not only was it vulnerable residents affected but so were your colleagues who did their best to ensure the best quality of life for those in their care."
For more of today's top stories click here.
READ NEXT:
-
'I love you'... Sister's heartfelt tribute after brother's body found
-
'I took Shane into my home and told friends he was the one. Months later I was living in hell'
-
Did 'gang bosses' escape because cops were squabbling? The allegations rocking GMP
-
Hundreds of residents hit with major disruption 'for weeks' after £2 thief's reckless stupidity
