Every evening Margaret visits her elderly father Peter, who has dementia, at his nursing home. On one occasion she notices there are only a few staff members on night duty, many of whom are handling the residents roughly and leaving them alone for long periods of time.
She doesn't want to report this to the nursing home for fear of causing trouble, so she writes us an anonymous letter.
As the allegations are so serious, we decide to act within 24 hours – interviewing the nursing home manager, checking records and talking to the residents. Like Peter, some of them have mental health conditions, so we make advocates available to help give their opinion.
Following our investigation, we draw up a ‘protection plan' stating how the manager should improve the situation. The abusive staff members were dismissed, and their names placed on a register to prevent them from working with vulnerable adults in the future.
Peter and the other residents were given counselling and the standard of care at the nursing home improved to its normal high standard.
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East Sussex County Council