Care home worker took photos of alleged neglect of dementia patients

A care home worker who  arrived for her shift to find  dementia patients covered  in filth said she took photos  of the scene in case no one  believed how bad it was.

Gemma Hampson was  giving evidence in the trial  of five co-workers at Ranelagh Grange care home,  Rainhill, who are accused of  wilfully neglecting 11 residents aged between 80 and  100.

 The senior care assistant  told jurors at Liverpool  Crown Court she arrived for  her shift at 9pm on March 29,  2011, to find the residents  hungry, wet and dirty with  their own waste and basic  jobs  had not been done.

 One 97-year-old lady even had faeces in her mouth. She told Janet Reaney,  prosecuting, that several of  the residents had to be  washed before they could be  put to bed and wet seat  covers that “smelled really  bad” had to be removed.

 There was food left in the  oven, the dishwasher and  slop bin were full and a bin  for soiled clothes was empty,  suggesting no one had been  changed.

 Miss Hampson added: “Very little had been done on the shift previous.”Miss Hampson took  photos of what she saw and  filled out forms concerning  the situation.

 She was asked what happened when defendant Jean  Westhead, the senior care  assistant for the day shift,  arrived the next morning  for a handover.

 Gemma Hampson replied: “Jean was physically  upset, crying, really shocked at what I was telling her.  She did say she had problems on the shift before and  felt staff had not done as  they were told.

 “They hadn’t done anything she asked them to. She told me that someone was swearing at her and  the staff were ignoring her.  She felt intimidated. She  said she didn’t realise it was  that bad but from the atmosphere on the shift the girls  were not doing as she asked  them and that there was  issues.

 She added: “(Co-defendant and deputy assistant manager) Janette Johnson was very angry with what I was telling her, on behalf of the residents, but was concerned about Jean and was comforting her.” “In all the time I had  worked there and in jobs  previous, I had never come  across people that dirty and  left in that state.”

 Asked why she felt the  need to take photographs,  she said: “There was an atmosphere between staff and managers, and between shifts, and I didn’t think anyone would grasp how bad the (incontinence) pads and residents were. I thought they  would think I was just moaning about having to change a  few extra pads. I didn’t want  anyone thinking I had exaggerated.”

Janette Johnson, 50, of  Honiston Avenue;  Jessica  Madine, 21, of Swaledale  Avenue, both Rainhill; Jean  Westhead, 49, of Windle Hall  Drive; Lindsey Kenyon, 28,  of Forshaw Avenue, Grange  Park, and Karen Leyland,  46, of Austin Avenue, all St  Helens, deny 11 counts of  willful neglect.

Proceeding.