A CARE home manager faces allegations that she force-fed an elderly lady while she was gagging.
Helen McLeod, from Dunfermline, Fife, allegedly pushed the frail woman up to a table, picked up her spoon and forced food into her mouth.
Ms McLeod, who was the manager at the St Andrew Court Care House in Broxburn, West Lothian, also allegedly posted inappropriate comments about elderly residents dying on social media.
She faces a total of 21 charges at a hearing with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in Dundee next month, where she could be struck off for her misconduct.
The charges state that on one occasion around July 2013, she “forced service user AA to eat in that she did push AA’s chair up to the table, pick up her spoon and force food into AA’s mouth whilst she was gagging”.
It is alleged that she then stated “I told you she could eat it”, or words to that effect.
Ms McLeod, who now describes herself on Twitter as a “personal trainer and gym instructor”, is also alleged to have posted inappropriate comments on Facebook.
Some of the comments are still on her Facebook page, including: ‘Typical staff suck guess who’s at work on this glorious day.”
Another charge states that she wrote on social media: “Hard day at work. RIP DD.” The SSSC claim the message failed to show the appropriate respect for the privacy of DD’s family.
Another charge alleges that when a member of staff contacted her to tell her that her grandson had been in a car accident and was critically ill, she “responded in an uncaring and unprofessional manner in that she did state ‘It’s not you who is ill’ or words to that effect.”
It is also alleged that around March and April 2013, she “repeatedly forced service users EE, BB and FF to attend the gym, despite being advised by members of staff that they did not want to attend”.
She even “told staff members not to give service users incontinence pads and to take them to the toilet instead”, it is claimed.
It is believed that Ms McLeod was manager at the private home from September 2009 until July 2013.
The care home boasts that it “offers residential care in a homely environment designed especially for frail older people”.
It also states online that “Our highly dedicated and trained staff team put your needs first”.
