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Two carers were secretly filmed ‘degrading’ a blind and elderly dementia sufferer.

During the disturbing incident at the care home, they ‘forcibly and unceremoniously’ dumped the woman onto her bed to clean her, the hearing was told.

When she started to complain one worker threatened to ‘break every bone’ in her body, ‘kill’ her and drag her by the head to her bed, prosecutors said. She was also physically abused, being slapped across here face causing her to yelp in pain.

The incident was captured on secret CCTV cameras installed by the victim’s daughter after she became concerned about her mother’s unexplained injuries. In the footage from March 31 the distressed victim is heard repeatedly crying and pleading to God for help.

The incident prompted an unannounced inspection by government watchdogs the Care Quality Commission which has downgraded the home to ‘inadequate’, the court heard. Problems with staffing, training and management contributed to the incident, the court was told. Both defendents claimed their initial training consisted of watching a series of DVDs then answering questions which they never got any feedback on.

One of the accused workers said they felt out of their depth and wrote to managers to say they were not coping and felt bullied.

Following the case, a spokesperson for the home said: “We were shocked and appalled by the actions of these individuals, whose behaviour went against everything we stand for as an organisation. “We have fully supported the police investigation and the successful prosecution of the two offenders, who we are pleased will now be prevented from working in a care setting again. “We are disappointed the recent CQC report was used by the defence – this was a wholly unacceptable act by two rogue individuals that is not representative of the professional, caring and dedicated staff who work at the home.

Sentencing, Judge Simon Berkson said the defendents’ behaviour had ‘degraded’ the victim and was ‘cruel and anything but caring’. He said: “She was verbally abused by both of you. She was slapped in the face by one and the other did not stop it, report it and appeared unconcerned.

They were sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 250 hours’ unpaid work and they must both pay the victim £250 compensation.

Source Manchester Evening News

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