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Sexual Abuse

Medication concerns in a care home

The Story
M works in a small charitable home where she is a senior care coordinator. The home has a manager, a deputy (who is on  maternity leave), a senior care coordinator, a care coordinator plus three other carers.

When the care coordinator forgot to give some residents their medication the manager’s reaction was to flush the 2x blister pack of drugs down the toilet (the packs held drugs for 9 people). M struggled for a few months with what had happened but eventually raised her concerns with head office. This led to an investigation and the suspension of both the manager and care coordinator, which made M feel uncomfortable because she thought the home would simply come in and sort the problem out rather then suspend people.

 

What we advised
We advised her that it was positive senior people in the charity were taking it so seriously and thanked her for raising the concern. One option was for M to keep her head down and carry on working but to go back to the investigator if M feels she is being victimised as a result of raising the concerns. Another option was to inform the investigator if the manager or anyone else was trying to find out who the whistleblower was.


What happened
Though local managers failed, managers further up the food chain looked into the issues. M was thanked by senior personnel in the charity for raising her concern and the concern had been resolved without M being victimised.