Simon (not his real name) worked as a senior care assistant. He observed one of the nurses slap residents and, on one occasion, he saw the nurse put his hands around a resident’s neck and force them into their room. Simon could only hear a scream and some banging after this. Simon did not want to raise his concerns to the new manager because other employee’s concerns had been ignored and confidentiality breached.
We discussed Simon’s options and advised that he speak with the deputy manager in confidence. She took his concerns seriously and, soon after, other workers came forward with similar incidents that they had witnessed. The nurse was later convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.
Simon wrote to us some time later and said,
“Your advice and support were invaluable at this time… I never regretted my actions… [My colleagues and I] got through this ordeal by supporting each other and in the knowledge that we were doing the right thing.”