Former care home manager struck off amid concerns residents not fed enough
- Credit: Archant
A manager who ‘abandoned’ an inadequate Weston care home before it was shut down by inspectors has been kicked out of the profession.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the 11-bed Wyvern Lodge was 'extremely badly managed' after serious concerns were flagged about staffing levels, cleanliness and people not getting enough to eat.
Industry regulator the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) ruled Sharmila Kale should be struck off.
She was the registered manager between November 2015 and May 2016, when she left without notice, forcing the CQC to take urgent action.
There is another Wyvern Lodge that opened in Drove Road in 2017, but a spokesman said it is not connected to Mrs Kale.
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The NMC heard one resident at the Milton Road home had regularly received aspirin despite being allergic.
Others in the home complained of being hungry, while an individual at risk of falls was placed in a room that opened onto landings with stairs, with no safety gate.
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The NMC heard Mrs Kale failed to ensure risk assessments or care plans were carried out for several patients, and did not check the references of some staff members when she hired them.
A relative of one of the residents raised the alarm with North Somerset Council, which shared concerns with the CQC and Avon Fire and Rescue Service.
The latter found the home was not compliant with fire safety regulations, with CQC inspectors finding a fire door propped open by a garden gnome.
It said the home was 'extremely badly managed' and had failed to operate in an 'open and transparent way or in accordance with the law'.
A NMC report NMC said: "It is alleged that once the CQC made clear its concerns, Mrs Kale appeared to abandon the patients in her care over the May 2016 bank holiday weekend by leaving the home, forcing the CQC into taking emergency measures to protect the patients."
"The CQC made an application to the magistrates court to close the home down on May 27, 2016."
The NMC ruled Mrs Kale has a 'deep-seated attitude problem', made failings over a long period of time and did not demonstrate sufficient remorse.
The panel ruled Mrs Kale should be struck from the register, but imposed an 18-month suspension to allow time for an appeal.
