HEALTH VISITOR PUT 20 KIDS AT RISK
Senior NHS worker struck off after faking records
AN inquiry has been told how a senior health visitor’s actions led to 20 children being put at “unwarranted risk of harm”.
A SENIOR health visitor who faked records and failed to monitor children red flagged as “high risk” for abuse in Glasgow has been struck off.
An inquiry found at least 20 children were put at “unwarranted risk of harm” by Roberta Barr in the Shettleston area due to missed visits and other care failures.
Records were filed where the health visitor had copied and pasted information from another child and changed the name.
On a number of occasions she sent staff out to homes to carry out checks on vulnerable children who were not qualified to assess them.
In one incident she did not carry out follow-up checks on a child despite concerns being raised by two separate agencies that parental neglect was suspected.
In another case, a child was left unchecked where there were indicators of physical abuse and domestic abuse.
And in another case involving siblings where there was a suspicion of neglect, she did not see the children for nine months.
The incidents happened while Ms Barr was employed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde as a health visitor and team leader at Gilbert- field GP practice in Ruchazie and other NHS premises in the Shettleston area.
Numerous charges found proved involved her falsifying records including one where she, “Completed a single agency assessment summary for Child 16 which was identical to two other children on your caseload, with only the Christian name changed.”
An inquiry by the Nursing and Midwifery Council found, “concerns were wide ranging and included children and families not being assessed, inappropriate delegation of tasks to less qualified staff and numerous concerns about record keeping including misleading and missing information.”
Ms Barr also potentially put other health visitors at risk by failing to carry out a risk assessment for home vis- iting, despite having entered a warning marker that advised,“no lone visiting.”
The incidents happened between July 2014 and September 2015 and led to Ms Barr resigning from her post after the health board initiated an inquiry.
Two witnesses in child protection services at NHSGGC gave evidence during a recent hearing by the NMC.
A spokeswoman for NHSGGC said: “The board’s internal disciplinary procedures were put in place following a review of the staff member’s practice and we referred her to the NMC.
“This person is no longer employed by the board.”
Ms Barr was not present for a disciplinary hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council where she was struck off the register.