Have NC for this. DH was suspended from work last Monday pending investigation of an alleged incident on the Sunday night (night shift worker in nursing home). He's alleged to have roughly handled a resident and been verbally abusive towards the resident. According to DH, he was assisting another carer with personal care of the resident and was being hit and scratched by the resident. He kept on telling the resident to stop hitting him while he was supporting her weight as she was on her side. The resident continued to scratch and hit him until he finally raised his voice and told her to stop. They finished working with the resident, got her resettled back into bed and left the room.
The other carer at no time raised any concerns about the way he had spoken to the resident nor did she say anything to him about the way he was handling the resident. Just to clarify, all care was done according to the care plan for the resident, correct equipment used etc. During the course of the shift both the other carer (A) and the nurse in charge (B) slept for approx 2-3 hrs leaving DH as the only carer awake to care for 24 residents. DH kept on waking them to help as he did not feel that the environment was safe. He finally wrote a note fao the manager and left it in the managers office stating that he wanted to speak to the manager as he was concerned about practices during the shift. (This is a new manager who started maybe 2 months ago)
He then finished the shift with no comment from A or B and B even told him and A to go into the resident in the morning. DH lifted the note from the mangers office on his way home as he felt that he should speak to the manager in person when they came on duty. Shift finished at 8am, gave A lift home, dropped DD at school then went in to speak to the manager at just after 9am. Manager said he couldn't speak to him at that time as he was heading to a meeting with some other managers (DH had seen them heading in) and he would talk to him after the meeting. DH mentioned to the manager that it was urgent and regarding safe practice. Told that the manager would ring so came home and went for a sleep. (DH had just done 3 shifts in a row).
DH then got a phone call in the afternoon asking him to go in to speak with manager. DH phoned me in a state after he came out of the building to say that A&B had made the allegations and he was suspended with full pay immediately (he was due to go in for a shift that night). No statement was taken from him that day and he has heard nothing from the home re. making a statement etc. DH contacted union rep and had been told to wait until he heard from the home.
We have waited for a full week with no contact. DH rang the manager this morning to ask if there was any progress or any idea of timescale so that we could get organised re childcare as I am due to go into hospital for surgery and have been told to expect a 6 wk recovery time. Friends are offering us help but we can't respond past the 1st few days post discharge since we don't know if DH will be back at work or not IYSWIM. Manager was very evasive and told DH that "with his track record he would have dismissed him after the 1st time".
DH is 
and 
as the manager is referring to an investigation where DH was basically hung out to dry regarding a moving and handling issue where a resident was injured and he was the only member of staff left to reprimand as by the time the investigation happened, the 2 other staff involved had left the job. However, the investigation found him to not be at fault as it was a training issue (no one had been given the correct training) which was to be rectified by all staff being verbally warned and retrained. This was last year and under the previous manager. None of the recommendations were followed and to this day no one has been retrained. Luckily the union rep he has was involved in the previous investigation so has knowledge of what had happened.
DH feels that he is being victimised because he is doing everything by the book instead of covering for other people ie sleeping on duty, unfinished paperwork. There are only 2 male carers and he has noticed that some of the staff treat him differently if he stands his ground. For example, if he goes in at 7:30 pm (handover doesn't start until 7:45) and refuses do do the tea trolley because A) he's not on duty and B) it's the day shifts duty then there's a lot of muttering behind his back. He raised several issues during a staff meeting including day staff leaving early and starting late. One day the whole of day shift excl the nurse in charge left at 7:30 pm when DH and another carer came in. They went to get changed and came down to find that the floor was abandoned and buzzers going unanswered. One other day DH wasn't home until 8:40 am (workplace is 10 mins away) because day shift didn't come in until 8:15 and night shift couldn't leave until there were enough people to safely leave. He says that he noticed a change in staff attitudes after that staff meeting (1st staff meeting for new manager) but it has been so subtle that he felt that saying anything would seem petty. He's such a shy quiet person and hates any sort of confrontation that it puts him at a disadvantage.
Epic post I know but we would appreciate any sort of information about how to go about dealing with this. The union are being helpful but I need to feel like we have some sort of clear picture as to what to expect or what we should do or say. Also posted in legal
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suspended from work :( epic post
veryverypissedoffcarer · 15/10/2012 15:43
Thank you 
It has done DH a world of good to see someone else say that he has done what he can. TBH I can't see him ever going back to care work because he is so disillusioned.
Man handling 
The resident in question is well known for assaulting staff and all the procedures that are in place were adhered to according to the allegation made by A (manager confirmed that this is what he had been told by A).
DH doesn't dispute that he shouldn't have raised his voice. However, there are not enough staff members on at night time to allow for the luxury of leaving the hell alone the person you are upsetting to get another staff member. If they had done that the resident would have been left to lie in less than sanitary conditions until the nurse in charge became free. As I said in the OP there are 3 people on duty for 24 residents. The carers do the bed time routine and checks while the nurse does meds, care plans, dressings etc.
The resident in question is fully aware and able to speak up. DH did not readily shout at a defensive person whoms dignity he is responsible for and who is unable to speak up for themselves He raised his voice after asking the resident to stop several times as he was in a position where he could not walk away or protect himself from being hit.
They are aware of it but have never had confirmation ISWIM. No, actually they did a spot inspection and found a carer sleeping but nothing happened . Apparently the carer was on a new contract which meant that although the shift is 12 hours they only get paid for 11 as the rest is counted as breaks. I remember DH saying that the carers on the new contracts were pissed off because they weren't getting paid breaks. I think the carer managed to argue that she was on her break so was free to spend it as she wanted to??
DH has the old contract that gives him the shift as 11 3/4 hours. As far as he is aware the 2 staff who were on with him are on the old contract as they have worked there for as long as he has.
Have to say as an RN I'd fully expect to have my head handed to me if I slept during a night shift.... I've had a doze in the staff room during lunch break (as in eyes shut sitting in chair) when on day duty but had to be ready to go if an alarm went off. No way could I have done it on nights.
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