Man fed dog biscuits at BUPA’s Kirknowe Nursing Home in Wishaw

A MEMBER of staff was sacked from Kirknowe Care Home after feeding a resident a dog biscuit – the second shocking story to emerge from the Wishaw facility in as many weeks.

The woman, who we understand lives in Coltness, was dismissed from the Stewarton Street home after an investigation found that she fed the canine treat to an elderly patient in September last year.

Healthcare giants BUPA say the incident was “unfortunate” while an insider told the Wishaw Press the man who was fed the dog biscuit suffered from severe dementia.

This latest shocking revelation comes just a week after we exposed how a nurse at Kirknowe accidently gave a frail woman an implant for male prostate cancer – a blunder that her family blame for her death.

Kenny Valentine, BUPA care services director for Scotland said: “This was a very unfortunate but isolated incident that took place last year during a therapy session involving a dog. We immediately launched an investigation and the member of staff was dismissed. We apologised to residents and their relatives at the time.”

The incident took place last September and BUPA initially said it happened at a residents’ party, but this week indicated it took place during a therapy session involving an animal.

A home insider who witnessed the incident told the Wishaw Press: “Basically there was a party going on that day for someone leaving and this was all a big joke.

“Some staff were in to say goodbye to a member of staff who was leaving and they brought their dogs in with them. One of the residents kept dog biscuits for anyone visiting with a dog, so she had a few with her that she was wanting to give the visiting dogs as a treat.

“The member of staff in question then gave another one of the residents a biscuit which quite a few staff didn’t find amusing. She said to the resident ‘Here’s a dog biscuit’ and the resident took it off her and ate it. There was a few residents involved in the joke but the one who took it wouldn’t have known it was a joke as he had severe dementia.”

Looking back on the incident, the home insider said: “It’s disgusting. It reflects on all of the staff and has a direct effect on all of them.”

This startling misjudgement by a member of staff at Kirknowe is the second outrage to emerge from the care home in the past fortnight.

The Wishaw Press last week exclusively revealed that a nurse had been suspended by Kirknowe after accidently giving 69-year-old woman Rose Plunkett an implant to tackle prostate cancer – then failing to record the massive blunder.

However BUPA apologised for the mistake and said there was no evidence to suggest the implant played any part in Rose’s death.

Asked if the home is in chaos, the insider responded: “The staff at the minute are very unhappy in the home. If you look at the vast turnover of staff in the home it’s enough to tell you yourself how it is. Some leave because they’re upset.”