Campaigner who caught Romford nurse abusing mother celebrates care home snooping guidance
Veronica Davis holds an old picture of her parents, William Patrick and Bridget Rees. Photo credit: Isabel Infantes - Credit: Archant
A campaigner who caught a Romford care home nurse abusing her mother using hidden CCTV has hailed new health watchdog guidance proposals on surveillance as “the best news”.
An extract of a video where Bridget Rees holds her hands up to nurse Grace Bello during her time at Mary Seacole Nursin Home. - Credit: Archant
It was today announced that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will release guidance at the end of the month on how families who are concerned about their relative’s wellbeing can snoop on care home carers.
Veronica Davis, 59, had suspicions that her 92-year-old mother Bridget Rees was being abused so she used a clock containing a hidden camera and caught Faderera Grace Bello, of Southern Way, Romford, poking and verbally abusing her.
Mrs Davis, who has since collected nearly 15,000 signatures for the introduction of CCTV, said if the guidelines had been announced earlier she may have not felt she had committed a crime for her surveillance.
Mrs Davis, of Wick Way, Hackney, said: “It made me feel like I had done something awful when I put my camera in the room and I didn’t do anything other than protect my mum.
Bridget Rees, who was abused by care home nurse Grace Bello - Credit: Archant
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“People will say filming puts nurses at risk but how do you make that one out? It’s the patients who are at risk.
“Nurses are only at risk when they put their hands on someone [inappropriately].”
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Andrea Sutcliffe, the chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC, made the announcement to a national newspaper.
She said: “We have decided that the best way to proceed is to issue guidance so those providers and relatives who feel the need to do it know what the issues are that they need to take into account.”
The announcement has been interpreted as giving the green light to covert surveillance and has been met with some criticism.
Director of care home directory carehome.co.uk Davina Ludlow warned that it could create a “big-brother culture”.
Bello, who was working at Mary Seacole Nursing Home, in Hoxton, when she abused Mrs Rees was sentenced by a Snaresbrook Crown Court judge to 4 months imprisonment in July.
She pleaded guilty to carer ill-treatment/wilful neglect contrary to section 44 Mental Capacity Act 2005.
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Read more:
Care home nurse from Romford jailed after being secretly filmed abusing 92-year-old dementia patient
Family of woman abused by Romford care home nurse call for introduction of CCTV
