Three care workers at Lancashire
home care have been found guilty of abusing elderly residents.
The female staff members at Hillcroft nursing home in
Slyne-with-Hest near Lancaster mocked, bullied and assaulted residents, Preston
Crown Court heard.
A fourth male staff member earlier pleaded guilty to ill-treating
the elderly residents.
The defendants told other staff they were bored and were doing it
for entertainment, prosecutors said.
Carol Moore, 54, was the
team leader of Ripon Avenue, Beaumont, Lancaster, she abused six residents
including slapping one.
Tipped
out of wheelchair, the abuse went this far, Gemma Pearson, 28, of Hill
Street, Carnforth, tipped a resident out of a wheelchair.
Four residents were abused
by Katie Cairns, 27, of Riverview Court, Westgate, Morecambe. She stamps on the foot of one, mocks others
by throwing bean bags at them and touching them.
Darren Smith, 34, of
Howgill Avenue, Lancaster, had previously pleaded guilty to ill-treating eight
residents and the court heard he was seen in bed with a distressed resident.
Det Insp Andy Hulme said
the staff members "showed a total disregard for their wellbeing,
displaying contemptible behaviour that should never be tolerated".
Their actions "caused
considerable distress to the victims, and it has been very distressing for
their families to hear about it", the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Every one was charged under
the Mental Capacity Act 2005 with ill-treatment and willful neglect of a person
with lack of capacity.
The court heard that they
had previously been suspended from the home following abuse allegations made by
a receptionist and a cleaner in September 2011.
Whistleblowers
praised
However they went back to
work subsequent to being handed warnings as an effect of an internal
investigation and the matter was not referred to the police or social services.
The Care Quality Commission
(CQC) was sent anonymous emails about the standard of care inside the home, the
court heard that in December 2011.
In May 2012, the CQC
forwarded the matter to the local authority’s protection team who informed
police.
In a statement, relatives
of the victims criticized "failings" of managers at Hillcroft,
Lancashire County Council, NHS North Lancashire and the CQC.
They also praised the
courage of whistleblowers.
They said: "To work in
a challenging behaviour unit must be incredibly difficult, requiring patience
and understanding, not to mention training and professionalism, but the
difficulty of the job does not excuse mistreatment on any level."
The home's owner said all
those involved have now left and it is under new management.
The former staffs are due
to be sentenced in January.
