Care home manager struck off for ‘blame and bullying’

A CARE home boss who banned residents from having biscuits with their cups of tea has been struck off after a misconduct tribunal highlighted her “rigid approach” to serving food.

Debra Lewis, 64, has been banned for life after she was found to have presided over a culture of “blame and bullying” at Wentworth Lodge Home in Penylan, Cardiff.

A hearing was told that Lewis carried out a “rigid approach” to serving food, which including demanding that portion sizes to be reduced for the 16 elderly residents.

At Christmas, Lewis said that dessert was off the menu before the festive buffet. She also told staff not to give out biscuits with cups of tea – and to stop putting fruit in the dining room.

The manager ran the £600-a-week care home for four years before concerns were raised by staff. Social Care Wales carried out an investigation at the home which specialises in dementia care.

Seven witnesses came forward to provide statements – including six members of staff and a manager at another home. Lewis, who started at the home in 1986, rose to be manager between 2014 and January 2019 before the investigation was launched.

The panel found Lewis created an “unhealthy culture within the home” and that her actions amounted to serious misconduct. Lewis, who did not take part in the hearing, was handed a removal order, stopping her from working in social care.

Speaking at her home, Lewis said: “I’m disgusted at the way I’ve been treated. You can’t just leave food lying around when you have residents with dementia – there was always enough for them to eat.”