A Fife care home sacked five workers over their treatment of a dementia patient.
The staff members were dismissed after registered nurse Nicola Hughes hid a covert camera in her mum’s bedroom at Barrogil House in Cluny, near Kirkcaldy.
The footage showed staff roughly handling and shouting at her mother, Janette Ritchie, while one carer was also filmed holding bedclothes over her head and saying: “Rest in peace,” the BBC reports.
Nicola complained to the Care Inspectorate about her mum’s treatment.
Dementia patient’s treatment ‘absolutely heartbreaking’ for family after camera hidden
In a series of videos posted on TikTok, Nicola described her mum’s care as “appalling”.
She said: “On February 19 last year I stuck a covert camera into my mum’s room in this wee nursing home.
“It was all set up, it was set up to alert me when someone went into her room and I would get a wee notification coming up.
“The first night the night shift put her to bed and I think that was the back of 9pm, if memory serves correct.
“The first notification on my phone was just after six o’clock in the morning, she had been left all night, no one checked on her overnight, no one checked on her to see if she was dry overnight either.
“It became obvious after a few days that this was the culture in the nursing home.”
@followme_nicola Care Home Abuse & Neglect Being my mum’s voice through the a covert camera #jintyseye 🥰 #carehome #carehomes #carehomesuk #carehomeabuseuk #covertcamera #covert #vulnerability #vulnerableadults #bbc #bbcscotland #disclosure #bethevoice #bethevoiceforthevoicless #badculture #changesrequired #careinspectorate #scottishgovernment #f #fyp
She added: “She (Janette) was smelling of urine.
“Having laid all night in a soaking wet bed, staff would come in at six o’clock in the morning, and sometimes before that, drag her out of bed, sit her on the toilet and dress her.
“In that chain of events, there was something really important missing and that was her personal care.
“They weren’t even cleaning my mum, they opted to get her out of a soaking wet bed, dress her and spray her with perfume to mask the smell.
“I don’t know how people can live with themselves to be honest, it breaks my heart.”
Barrogil House is described as a “specialist dementia nursing care home” which is committed to “enriching” the lives of its patients and their families.
Holmes Care Group, which runs the service, has since confirmed five staff members were dismissed as a result of the complaints.
5 staff members sacked at Barrogil House in Fife over patient’s treatment
A spokesperson told The Courier: “Mrs Ritchie has been a resident of Barrogil House, a well-established, purpose-built care home providing 24-hour care for older people, since February 2024.
“Following concerns raised by her family in June of last year, we took immediate action which resulted in the dismissal of five members of staff.
“A subsequent unannounced inspection noted our good staffing levels and commitment to kindness and respect, and we continue to work closely with all relevant authorities to make improvements including a revised care plan for Mrs Ritchie.
“The health and wellbeing of our residents is our utmost priority, and we aim to offer the highest possible standards of care and compassion.”
The inspection in January also found “a number of issues” in medication management at the home.
Barrogil House must ensure systems to manage medication are “effective and accurate” by March 17.
The home was also told to improve its care plans for residents.
A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “This was an extremely distressing case and our thoughts are with the individual affected and their loved-ones.
“Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, good quality care which meets their needs and respects their rights.
“Anyone with a concern is encouraged to contact us, we take all concerns raised with us seriously.
“We have carefully considered information gathered in relation to this matter and have upheld four elements of a complaint.
“We also inspected this service in January this year and have published the full report of that inspection which details the improvement we expect.
“We continue to monitor this care home and remain in close contact with them to ensure progress is made.”
Fife dementia patient’s family launch petition for CCTV in care homes
Nicola has since launched a petition calling for mandatory CCTV in care homes to “ensure accountability, prevent neglect, and give families peace of mind”.
She said: “Cameras aren’t about mistrust – they’re about protection, respect, and justice for those who need it most.
“I’ve witnessed first-hand the detrimental impact systemic abuse and neglect had on my mum and despite constantly raising my concerns I was ignored, laughed at and made out to be the problem until I admitted to having video evidence.”
The Courier has approached Nicola for an interview.
The Care Inspectorate has also been contacted for more information about the case.
The Courier produces a round-up of the latest reports for care homes, nurseries and after-school clubs across Tayside, Fife and Stirling each week.
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