Former manager of scandal-hit care home tells of her ‘shame and regret’:
‘I’D APOLOGISE TO EVERY RESIDENT, THEIR FAMILIES AND MY STAFF IF I COULD’
THE former boss of a scandalhit care home said she would apologise to every resident, relative and staff member if she could.
Nurse Jayne Jones was the registered manager of the Plas Y Bryn Nursing Home at Bontnewydd near Caernarfon when serious concerns were raised about the state of care at the home.
The home housed more than 60 people at the time, including many with dementia.
She managed the home from October 2014 to August 2015 before the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales, now Care Inspectorate Wales, issued deep concerns about the way the home was operating.
Claims of neglect sparked a police investigation into how the home was operating, but no charges were filed and the home shut its doors in January 2016.
Now, Ms Jones has voluntarily been removed from the social care register and nursing and midwifery register, pledging never to work as a nurse again.
In a report released last month, Social Care Wales [SCW] said Ms Jones was suspended by her employers in August 2015 before being referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC] and SCW.
They said: “The regulatory concerns related to Ms Jones’ poor management of the home over a period of approximately 10 months from October 2014 to August 2015.
“During this period, there were failings in relation to employing suitably able and qualified staff, monitoring systems for reviewing and improving care, meeting service users’ needs fully, ensuring timely medical interventions, ensuring safe systems for medication administration, safeguarding, elimination of risks to the health and safety of service users and arrangements to prevent service users being harmed or suffering abuse.”
The NMC held a fitness to practice hearing last year in which Ms Jones applied to remove her name from the register, and declared she would not seek readmission to the register for five years.
In a statement to them, she said: “My desire was always for Plas Y Bryn’s staff to deliver the highest standard of care possible.
“With the benefit of hindsight and much reflection, I have to admit to myself, and now the NMC, that I could/ should have done more and better as a registered manager.
“My leadership and actions/ omissions within the last year of my employment caused failures which impacted the care delivered at Plas Y Bryn for the residents and staff.
“This may have impacted detrimentally on residents, residents’ relatives and friends and staff. This is to my ultimate shame and regret.
“I would apologise to each and everyone involved if I could.”
A report released following the NMC hearing said Ms Jones had not worked as a nurse, “or in any capacity”, since 2015.
They said ill-health meant she was unable to work.
The NMC hearing heard from inspectors that “there were concerns about the running of the home and care provided to the residents, and the escalating concerns procedures were followed to try and bring the standards at the home up”.
The report added: “Nurse Jones was registered manager for around 10 months and during this time the standards at the home got worse, not better.
“The quality of life for the residents suffered during this time, some of their care needs were not met, or not met adequately, and for some residents their lives were put at risk by care recommendations not being followed and an absence of support for residents for eating and drinking / sufficient staff particularly at mealtimes.”
Ms Jones accepted a recommendation of a nine-month suspension order with review, but said she would not be working as a nurse again.
The report said: “She has apologised to those she let down in this role and expressed her sadness at leaving a profession she cherishes.
“Whilst the case against Nurse Jones is undoubtedly serious, involving vulnerable residents receiving inadequate care and being put at risk for a substantial length of time, during this time she did make efforts to put things right, so could not be said to have deliberately chosen to allow this situation to continue.
“Further, she has reflected and identified that being a registered manager of a care home was beyond her, so has demonstrated insight into her failings.
“Nurse Jones has declared a settled intention not to practise as a nurse in future and has provided evidence that she is not able to work.”
On July 30, Social Care Wales also agreed to remove Ms Jones from their register.