Care home manager withdrew cash without permission

A care home manager has been struck off the nursing register after withdrawing money from vulnerable residents without permission.

Claire Ann Fitzpatrick was employed as a registered nurse and manager at a care home in Cumbria when she used bank cards belonging to two residents.

Papers from a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) misconduct hearing said one resident was left "destitute and reliant on the good will of others for everyday basics" after about £8,000 was taken from her account in two months.

Fitzpatrick did not attend the hearings and made no representations to the panel. The BBC was unable to reach her for comment.

The NMC also heard evidence that she had pressurised staff into lending her money and had failed to fulfil some of her duties at the care home, which was not named in the papers.

A report published by the NMC said: "The panel found that this conduct was dishonest, exploitative and amounted to financial abuse of particularly vulnerable individuals."

The panel upheld 17 out of 18 charges against Fitzpatrick.

It said police investigated theft allegations, but would take no further action against her.

The NMC said this did not stop it from making determinations on "regulatory concerns" under its own code of conduct, separate from criminal proceedings.

The panel heard evidence about the withdrawal of money from the two residents.

In one case, £8,000 was withdrawn between June and August 2021 from a resident who was able to manage her own finances, with support from staff to go to the cash point and go shopping.

During this time, the NMC said withdrawals had "far outweighed" her normal spending habits and money was taken from cash points she did not normally use.

It added records from Fitzpatrick's police interview showed she had not denied withdrawing money.

"Rather, her explanation focused on what the monies were said to have been used for," the report said.

The other case involved withdrawals from a resident who did not have capacity to manage his own finances.

Fitzpatrick was the main person with power to access his money.

She claimed she had purchased 2,000 cigarettes for him although he did not smoke, the NMC said.

It concluded her behaviour had been "dishonest" and "premeditated".

The hearing was told two members of staff had reported being owed money by Fitzpatrick.

A junior staff member said she was still waiting for repayment of £1,000, lent over a period of time.

The NMC said the worker had agreed to it "to avoid an uncomfortable atmosphere at work, or potentially losing her job".

"Both colleagues described feeling pressurised into lending money," the report said.

It added the panel had found she had "preyed on her colleague's generosity and goodwill".

Fitzpatrick did not attend the hearing, held over two weeks in May, however she provided statements ahead of the proceedings.

She told the NMC she had suffered a "devastating bereavement".

The panel said it took the view that her statements focused on her personal circumstances "rather than demonstrating any understanding of the impact of her actions".

"The panel considers this to be self-serving and devoid of recognition of the impact of her action on others and public confidence in the profession needs to be taken account of."

The NMC report said Fitzpatrick had failed to ensure care records were completed and updated for one or more of the home's 33 residents, during a period between 2019 and 2021.

These included paperwork such as mental capacity assessments, hospital transfer sheets and documents detailing what care people needed.

The NMC said residents at the home were "among the most vulnerable members of society".

It said incomplete or outdated records created a "significant risk that residents could receive inappropriate or unsafe care".

Fitzpatrick also failed to notify the watchdog Care Quality Commission of two deaths and fill in the appropriate paperwork regarding concerns for the welfare of a resident found with unexplained injuries.

The NMC said it was satisfied her failures "prevented safe and effective care being delivered".

Fitzpatrick was deemed unfit to practice and struck off the register.

The NMC concluded her misconduct suggested "deep-seated attitudinal problems due to the repeated dishonesty, abuse of trust and financial exploitation" of vulnerable residents.

There will be an interim suspension order for 18 months, to allow Fitzpatrick to appeal the decision.

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