A NURSE has been suspended after she took money from a vulnerable care home resident’s bank account without him being present.
In 2020, concerns were raised about Ann Silcock after she took almost £300 out of an account registered to a resident at the home she was working at.
According to documents released by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Mrs Silcock accessed the account of the individual known only as resident A, without him being present, which breached the guidelines around handling residents’ money at Stocks Hall Care Homes in Dentons Green.
It was said she had borrowed the money and was repaying it in instalments.
READ MORE:
- Plans submitted for 139 'affordable' homes on 'safeguarded' green belt land
- Jury to give verdict on man accused of murdering vulnerable neighbour
- Petrol station at Morrisons supermarket closed off after gas leak
Sanctioned
The NMC has sanctioned the former care home staff member after it was also found she breached guidance on giving out her personal phone number to two residents and communicated with them after leaving.
The documents set out how Mrs Silcock – who has been suspended from nursing for six months – discussed inappropriate matters with resident A in relation to her private and family life.
According to a fitness to practise report issued following a hearing earlier this month into Mrs Silcock’s conduct, the NMC received a referral from the care home in July 2020. It said she had taken £270 from resident A’s bank account with his card, without him being present.
It was said resident A, who has since died, was being paid back in instalments but did not want to take the last £50 as he considered Mrs Silcock a friend. This was contrary to the home’s policy on handling resident’s money.
In a statement submitted to the NMC via the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) it was said Mrs Silcock’s position was that “the resident in question had capacity to manage his own finances, and therefore it was acceptable and common practice for staff to withdraw money from his bank account on his instruction and submit a receipt.”
Failure to maintain professional boundaries
In relation to the failure to maintain professional boundaries, resident A allegedly said that Mrs Silcock had a close relationship with him and was planning to visit him when he moved to a different care home.
It was also alleged that Mrs Silcock had contacted another nurse at the Home, after she ceased working there and asked for access to Resident A’s notes.
The three-person panel considering the matter noted that there were reports from various witnesses that resident A had mentioned to them that Mrs Silcock had discussed private family matters with him.
It noted her responses provided by the RCN that Mrs Silcock and resident A had a close and personal relationship and that “professional boundaries may have been blurred at times.”
The RCN statement admitted Mrs Silcock recognised she should not have given her personal number out.
One member of staff gave a statement that said resident A told them “nobody is supposed to know that she is ringing me, she told me to save her number under the name ‘Louise’.”
The panel was of the view that Mrs Silcock’s actions did fall significantly short of the standards expected of a registered nurse. They considered her submission in which she expressed remorse, acknowledged that she “crossed over professional boundaries” and “got too involved.”
Despite this, a suspension order for a period of six months was deemed appropriate in this case to mark the seriousness of the misconduct.
Share