A former nursing director has been struck off after she failed to protect vulnerable people in her care.
Christine Hayes was director of nursing for Caerphilly Teaching Local Health Board between 2003 and 2006 and had responsibility for commissioning care packages from Brithdir Nursing Home, near New Tredegar.
At the time Caerphilly County Borough Council was responsible for funding nursing home placements in the area.
A Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing in November proved seven charges of misconduct and at a further hearing on January 16, she was struck off the register.
The panel ruled that Mrs Hayes continued to move residents into Brithdir, despite knowing of serious concerns over poor standards there.
The care home was investigated by Gwent Police as part of Operation Jasmine – a £11.6 million investigation into alleged care home abuse launched in 2005.
The NMC panel’s report states that concerns over Mrs Haye’s fitness to practise were raised by an expert working for Gwent Police as part of Operation Jasmine.
The home was also under the scrutiny of the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW), which had identified persistent breaches in standards.
Giving evidence to the panel, a senior nurse from the health board said she had told Mrs Hayes in October 2004 that around a third of residents at the home would be at risk of investigation because of malnutrition and tissue damage.
The NMC panel ruled that together with the concerns of the CSSIW, Mrs Hayes should have known the risk to residents and should have questioned whether to continue the commissioning of services there.
Instead, Mrs Haynes jointly authorised the lifting of an embargo on Brithdir which had restricted new residents going there.
The panel report said: “By allowing the embargo to be lifted conditionally, and subsequently allowing funded nursing placements to continue despite your knowledge of a range of material issues such as the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) investigations, you failed to ensure that an adequate standard of nursing care for residents was provided at Brithdir Nursing Home.”
The NMC said the level of Ms Hayes’ misconduct meant she was not fit to practise and ruled she should be struck off, ending her 40-year career as a registered nurse.
Brithdir Nursing Home closed in 2006 but has since reopened under new management.