A nurse caught slapping an elderley Alzheimer’s patient at a care home in London has been sentenced to jail. Maria Worroll was repeatedly slapped by carer Jonathan Aquino, after the victim’s family secretly filmed the assault using a hidden camera. The assault took place at Ash Court Care Centre in Kentish Town last year and is set to be screened in a BBC Panorama documentary to be shown tonight on BBC1. The home is run and operated by Forest Healthcare who have also sacked four of Aquino’s colleagues as part of their own investigations into the matter. Aside from the violent slapping, the patient was also manhandled by her carers despite he suffering from acute arthritis. In addition to this, it was said that carers also put her to bed as early as 5.30pm and did not greet her, preferring instead to make her watch television.
The Care Quality Commission the body who review standards at UK care homes gave the home an ‘excellent’ rating just a few months before the abuse took place. In addition to this a secondary report which was produced four months after the event failed to even mention that there were pending charges over the incident. Judy Downey from The Relatives & Residents Association criticised the report saying that was not a useful or honest document as it did not mention the charges relating to the incident. She argues that the CQC should use their powers to cancel the registration of care providers who are not shown to be fit to offer care services.
The patent how now been moved to alternative accommodation.
