A nurse roughed up dementia patients, branded them ‘disgusting’ and threatened to strangle a woman with a scarf, a hearing was told.
Christina Cooper is accused of abusing four patients at the Connaught Care Home in Fulford, York.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council heard how Cooper allegedly shoved a patient’s soiled sheet in his face and said: ‘When dogs do this, their owners rub their noses in it’.
Care assistant Amy Redpath – who was working with Cooper at the care home run by the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution at the time of the allegations in October and November 2009 – told the hearing Cooper was abrupt and uncaring towards some patients during the shifts they worked together.
She said: ‘I got the impression she didn’t really like her job and didn’t really like the residents.
‘She complained about residents, complained about the workload, and complained the residents were perhaps wrongly placed.
‘It was annoying and a bit depressing to be around, the mood was quite low for me.’
Mrs Redpath added that Cooper would barge into patients rooms during the night, switch the main light on, and roughly change their incontinence pads.
On October 9, 2009, Cooper is alleged to have told one man, referred to as patient A, he was ‘a disgusting little s***’ as she changed his bedding.
‘I remember Christina pulling the covers back with little or no communication, scooping up resident A with both hands in order to turn him over in bed’, she said.
‘This was done quite roughly and I remember the resident being very startled and shocked, holding out for something as a sort of reflex action.’
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my sister spent some time working in a nursing home about 6 years ago. She left in the end due to all her concerns re the standard of care/non care she witnessed. It was privately run. There was a focus on saving money. Staff were very low paid, over worked and demoralized. Does this type of environment contribute to a sort of culture of “abuse”? Articles always focus on individuals but I wonder ——–?
Its a job to do nethertheless and the abuse suffered is not only wrong it is sickening.
Overworked is no reason to abuse another and i see your sister didnt resort to such a feeble excuse.
Its disgusting that the vunerable in this day and age are so easily abused.
This Cooper woman is a nasty and cruel person, i doubt she’l even get jail time. Theres no effing justice for the victim.
She had a choice weather or not to abuse these people, and she chose the crime. I just hope the judge is not a liberal one.
I would like to say to Cooper “Yes, and when a person like you does something like this they should have their lights punched out”. You’re the disgusting little shit.
Outrageous.
This is disgusting treatment by a woman who was given the responsibility of “Caring”. i am glad i dont come across women or men like her as i would ask them to leave the premises and care staff do have that right under The protection of vulnerable adults. They also have a duty of care to report this kind of behaviour so well done to Amy. at least she did the decent thing to report this despicable woman. I hope she never works in care again. Thank God for the thousands of decent Care staff out there.