Nurse alleged to have ill-treated patients

A BULLYING residential care home manager ill-treated three vulnerable patients in her care, a court heard.Jane Harris (45), threw food at one woman and used one patient’s hand as a “weapon” to chastise another patient.She was said to be &

A BULLYING residential care home manager ill-treated three vulnerable patients in her care, a court heard.

Jane Harris (45), threw food at one woman and used one patient’s hand as a “weapon” to chastise another patient.

She was said to be “dictatorial and intimidating” and would suppress reports of incidents, Doncaster Crown Court was told.

Staff at the council-run care home eventually went to senior management and police became involved in September 2007.

Harris, of Priory Close, Conisbrough, denies seven offences of ill-treating or neglecting three female patients over a three month period in the summer of 2007.

She has been charged under Section 44 of the new Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Miss Kath Goddard, prosecuting, said that Harris had been manager of the small home in Hexthorpe, Doncaster, since 2001, where there was a maximum of eight residents with severe learning difficulties.

Some had behavioural problems and others physical problems such as epilepsy.

One of the residents with severe behavioural problems kept pulling the hair of other residents.

When she tugged at the hair of another patient Harris intervened and separated the pair. The victim, who could not speak, was said to be screaming in distress.

Harris took the arm of the victim and “used it as a weapon” to hit the attacker over the head at least six times effectively as a punishment, said Miss Goddard.

Harris was allegedly heard to say: “I'm sick of her doing this.”

The trial continues.

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