A Merseyside nursing home boss has been sanctioned by officials after a litany of errors that put patients at risk of harm over a two-year period.
Following half a dozen Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearings across almost 12 months, Deborah Farr has been told she cannot hold any management positions following her conduct at Beechcroft Nursing Home, Prenton. A report released by the NMC said between 2017 and 2019, Ms Farr held a position of seniority and she failed to meet the obligations of a Registered Manager with responsibility for the safety and care of vulnerable and elderly residents.
As a result, she must now comply with conditions of practice set by the NMC for a period of 18 months after her fitness to practice was deemed to be impaired. Dozens of charges were put to Ms Farr, with 50 facts proved against her, including those by admission.
The home is now under new ownership, having been sold in July 2021.
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Among them, the report said Ms Farr failed to ensure end of life care plans for service users contained adequate information relating to certain conditions, did not ensure medicines were stocked at the home to administer to residents, and failed to take action to mitigate the risk of injuries to one or more service users following a catalogue of injuries.
These injuries included a resident falling off a toilet, a service user suffering a fractured knee and a laceration to a patient’s shin coming out of their wheelchair. The report said Ms Farr had “limited insight into how her failings contributed to the inadequacy of the home and into the steps that she could take to minimise the risk of her misconduct recurring.”
It said her misconduct “amounted to a catalogue of failures" over a period of some two years and “put patients at risk of harm.” In reaching its decision on a sanction, the NMC panel felt striking off Ms Farr would have been disproportionate and “would not be a reasonable response in the circumstances” in light of her consistently positive employment testimonials and the evidence of safe and effective clinical nursing practice since the incidents occurred.
As a registered nurse since June 2006, Ms Farr cannot hold any management position for the next 18 months. This includes not working as a manager or deputy/assistant manager in a nursing or care home.
The panel found no mitigating factors in relation to the former care home manager’s case, despite a number of testimonials from representatives from the Bebington home where she is now employed. Before the order expires, a panel will hold a review hearing to review the order and to see how well Ms Farr has complied with the sanction.
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