Shameful: nursing home manager stole cash from elderly residents (From Thisisdorset)
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Shameful: nursing home manager stole cash from elderly residents
8:46am Wednesday 10th October 2012 in Latest By Jane Reader
Avon Cliff Nursing Home
THE manager of a nursing home has admitted pocketing cash belonging to vulnerable elderly residents.
Tracey Thompson pleaded guilty to stealing money from residents in her care and also from her employers at the Avon Cliff Nursing Home in Christchurch Road, Bourne-mouth.
The 49-year-old, who lives at Wimborne Road, Bournemouth also admitted stealing more than £1,000 worth of printer cartridges from the home, which she later sold on eBay.
Thompson admitted to seven charges, amounting to a total of around £2,200 when she appeared before Bourne-mouth Magis- trates Court.
She was then committed to Bournemouth Crown Court where she will be sentenced on Friday November 9.
Since January 1 2010 Thompson stole £75 belonging to Winifred Thompson, £100 belonging to Kenneth Markless, cash with a value unknown from Connie Fisher, £100 from Doris Rylands and £49 from Rachel Harris.
She admitted taking £730.53 from the nursing home between January 1 and June 8 2012 and cartridges worth £1,126.47 bet-ween July 28 2011 and August 21 2012.
Magistrates were told all victims have been reimbursed by the care home.
The home is owned by Colten Care and after the case managing director Ian Hudson told the Daily Echo: “The safety and wellbeing of our residents is always our overriding concern.
“This individual breached the trust placed in her by us as her employers and, more importantly, the residents at Avon Cliff.”
Mr Hudson said residents and families had been kept informed of the investigation and confirmed all losses had been reimbursed.
He added: “We recognise that this has been a very difficult situation for all concerned but feel we have acted in the best interests of our residents at all times.”
Defending Thompson, Mike Flynn told the court she was in debt and had taken out so-called payday loans to repay her debts.
He added: “She is very ashamed and has been fully co-operative with the police. Unfortunately she found herself in difficulties.”
Mr Flynn said Thompson had been treated in St Ann’s Hospital and was currently being treated by her doctor and the community health team.
She was remanded on unconditional bail until sentence.
Comments(84)
Brock_and_Roll
says...
9:21am Wed 10 Oct 12
BournemouthMum
says...
9:49am Wed 10 Oct 12
So she is having psychiatric care, due I suppose to "depression". A ploy to get a lighter sentence? Or is that just me being cynical?.
Mr N James
says...
9:52am Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James
says...
9:52am Wed 10 Oct 12
sussexcherry
says...
10:04am Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James wrote:To be fair, the amount of printer cartridges stood out to me. That does not mean I do not care about the elderly or staff stealing from them, my Grandmother spent her last years in a nursing home, so yes I do care. People will steal in any job, even if it is just a pen, but just because Brock'n'roll doesn't mention the elderly does not mean he/she does not care. If he/she did not care, I hardly think that they would be running a nursing home, do you!!
Brock_and_roll ,As a nursing home owner you should be very conserned about staff stealing from the elderly.But your comments do say something about you. Your more worried about the cost of ink than the people you are ment to care for. You disgust me.
The Renegade Master
says...
10:05am Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James
says...
10:14am Wed 10 Oct 12
f they did care for the elderly then they problery would not not charge so much ,do you not think???
smileysue
says...
10:15am Wed 10 Oct 12
e like this should have the book thrown at them. It happenend to my mother but we couldn't prove it..........i was absolutely mortified that a person in that kind of position of trust and in a CARING position could do such a thing.
sussexcherry
says...
10:35am Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James wrote:Calm down Dear!! Your legs must be so tired after jumping so far to the conclusions you have reached. I do not know Brock'n'roll, but let me join you and jump to a conclusion! You must know so much about Brock'n'roll as you are convinced that all he/she cares about is money, do you know them, have you met them, if so then I will stand corrected. According to the Guardian, 14/11/11 the number of care homes that had gone bust in 2011 was double that of 2010, just google 'how many care homes have gone bust'. This is due to many factors, cuts in social care funding, high rents etc. Yes it is expensive to put an elderly relative into care, but it is not a pot of gold for the care home owner, as the figures agree, but then again, I expect you will draw (or jump) to your own conclusions!!!! Keep Calm and carry on!!
They run a Nusring home ££££££££££ that all they care about is £££££££££.I
f they did care for the elderly then they problery would not not charge so much ,do you not think???
Mr N James
says...
10:40am Wed 10 Oct 12
t.south
says...
11:09am Wed 10 Oct 12
_mooch_
says...
11:14am Wed 10 Oct 12
sussexcherry
says...
11:17am Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James wrote:Is that really the best you can reply with? Try reading my last post, 2nd and 3rd line, and no I am not them, he/she whoever!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you met them ,or are you them ???
The reason I posted originally was because of your comment, "you disgust me" which was completely over the top, as you were just assuming his/hers opininion. It is dangerous to assume, as you make an **** out of U and ME, but in this case you have made a complete **** out of yourself.
_mooch_
says...
11:23am Wed 10 Oct 12
BournemouthMum
says...
11:43am Wed 10 Oct 12
t.south wrote:"Very ill"...but not too ill to manage a nursing home or steal money from elderly people it seems. I have no sympathy for vile despicable individuals who prey on the vulnerable - mental illness or not.
With regards to bournemouth mums comment. Yes cynical has it occured to you that if she was in st annes that she was very ill. Do you know how hard it is to get help from mental health team
Arjay
says...
11:48am Wed 10 Oct 12
_mooch_ wrote:I cannot agree, or disagree, with the 'service with a smile' bit -- I've never been there.
anyway, for those looking for great deals on ink cartridges , get yourself down to Compatible Cartridge Company, great value and service with a smile!!!!!!
Too expensive.....
s-pb2
says...
12:09pm Wed 10 Oct 12
sussexcherry wrote:Well said. All Brock n Roll made was an informed and valid observation.
Mr N James wrote:Is that really the best you can reply with? Try reading my last post, 2nd and 3rd line, and no I am not them, he/she whoever!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you met them ,or are you them ???
The reason I posted originally was because of your comment, "you disgust me" which was completely over the top, as you were just assuming his/hers opininion. It is dangerous to assume, as you make an **** out of U and ME, but in this case you have made a complete **** out of yourself.
cheeriedriteup
says...
12:14pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Brock_and_Roll wrote:They clearly have up to date printers I guess, my one printer in my house costs £240 a year, are you still using dot matrix
As a fellow nursing home owner, I am slightly mystified as to why they had £1,000 worth of printer cartridges in the first place. We usually spend about £150 a year on them!
rba
says...
12:16pm Wed 10 Oct 12
cheeriedriteup
says...
12:20pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James wrote:But the people of this country are quick enough to put their elderly relatives in the care homes in the first place, in most other countries they stay at home and the younger family members look after them until the end, how many reading this are guilty of this action
Have you met them ,or are you them ???
MrPitiful
says...
12:24pm Wed 10 Oct 12
The Renegade Master wrote:Agreed - spot on.
So she took a total of £2200, hardly the crime of the century, but the abuse of trust is unforgivable. I think a fine equivalent to the amount stolen and the repayment in full of monies taken, plus a couple hundred hours of community service is sufficient for someone who clearly has mental issues.
Professor Zaroff
says...
12:27pm Wed 10 Oct 12
cheeriedriteup wrote:Or, what with her being a thief and all, she was in charge of ordering the cartridges - which she did in order to sell on Ebay?
Brock_and_Roll wrote:They clearly have up to date printers I guess, my one printer in my house costs £240 a year, are you still using dot matrix
As a fellow nursing home owner, I am slightly mystified as to why they had £1,000 worth of printer cartridges in the first place. We usually spend about £150 a year on them!
Letcommonsenseprevail
says...
12:38pm Wed 10 Oct 12
pete woodley
says...
1:36pm Wed 10 Oct 12
High Treason
says...
1:42pm Wed 10 Oct 12
_mooch_ wrote:You can't be serious. It is a lot cheaper to buy from the web. Compatible ones work as good as refills and originals.
anyway, for those looking for great deals on ink cartridges , get yourself down to Compatible Cartridge Company, great value and service with a smile!!!!!!
_mooch_
says...
1:47pm Wed 10 Oct 12
High Treason wrote:the little extra is worth paying just to see me smile
_mooch_ wrote:You can't be serious. It is a lot cheaper to buy from the web. Compatible ones work as good as refills and originals.
anyway, for those looking for great deals on ink cartridges , get yourself down to Compatible Cartridge Company, great value and service with a smile!!!!!!
oap1950
says...
2:35pm Wed 10 Oct 12
O'Reilly
says...
3:32pm Wed 10 Oct 12
t.south wrote:Totally agree. I can vouch for your comment, regarding a member of my own families problems.
With regards to bournemouth mums comment. Yes cynical has it occured to you that if she was in st annes that she was very ill. Do you know how hard it is to get help from mental health team
nonnogeppetto
says...
4:19pm Wed 10 Oct 12
I offer no excuse for this individual’s behaviour however if the individual is unscrupulous, the temptation of taking money which is often left lying around especially if the elderly individual is not 100% aware or able to control their finances can prove a Carer’s downfall. By all account this sad individual lost all senses when she embarked on this unsavory behaviour which brings the profession into disrepute.
Brock_and_Roll
says...
4:44pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Futhermore, 3 of my grandparents spent their final years being cared for in our homes - we have always, and always will treat all residents as if they are our own family.
For what it is worth, care homes are under massive pressure at the moment - a double whammy of huge amounts of extra regulations and paperwork combined with the financial situation that local authorities are under means that many privately owned homes are closing. In a few years time, only big group operators may remain - personally I think this is a shame as the big groups are often inpersonal and forget that to the resident, the place their live is their "home".
My comment about the printer cartiddges was simply that it was odd to have £1k worth of cartidges in stock - please dont read any more or less into that!
Brock_and_Roll
says...
4:52pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Mr N James wrote:You sir, are an ignoramous!
Brock_and_roll ,As a nursing home owner you should be very conserned about staff stealing from the elderly.But your comments do say something about you. Your more worried about the cost of ink than the people you are ment to care for. You disgust me.
How on earth do you manage to extrapolate a comment about printer cartidges, to imply that we do not care for our residents or theft from them? No one in their right mind would condone this and your comment would be offensive and libelous if you had not clearly lost the plot.
I am concerned amongst other things about the price of heating oil, the middle east peace process, global warming, my receding hairline - none of these mean in any way that I don't care passionately about my very frail and vulnerable residents!
Please engage brain in future before pressing submit!
Tigra63
says...
5:00pm Wed 10 Oct 12
BournemouthMum wrote:Well as you do not know this person, you do not know the whole story!!
t.south wrote:"Very ill"...but not too ill to manage a nursing home or steal money from elderly people it seems. I have no sympathy for vile despicable individuals who prey on the vulnerable - mental illness or not.
With regards to bournemouth mums comment. Yes cynical has it occured to you that if she was in st annes that she was very ill. Do you know how hard it is to get help from mental health team
Yes very ill, 7 weeks in St. Annes, after the offence... Yes i do know this lady, and what she did was outrageous, and she totally knows it and totally admits it. A mental breakdown occurs slowly, till it reaches a point.... where you break! Maybe pay day loans shouldn't be so readily available, at some stupid apr rate... and prey on those who are desperate and have got into a mess!! Im not defending, but am not condeming... the whole story has not been put in the paper, just the bad bits, the bits to make her look like a monster... which she is not. If someone in authority stole from my mum, id be angry... but, yes she stole.... but the residents welfare was always her top priority!!
She has lost her job, her home, and her life as she knew it. So dont judge so readily, without knowing the whole story.
worried son
says...
5:15pm Wed 10 Oct 12
ss,gold chain, mobile phone etc, now she is over 90yrs old and her memory is not as good but i have noticed these things go missing and always reported them missing,two guess's who they were reported to and nothing ever turned up,i wonder why and
where are the records missing! By the way she commited herself to St Annes way of avoiding questions!
bosco1
says...
5:30pm Wed 10 Oct 12
justanoldie
says...
5:38pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Tigra63
says...
5:41pm Wed 10 Oct 12
worried son wrote:You cant commit your self... It was a fight to get her in there... Plus 2 suicide attempts!!!
My mother is at that home she loves it there,but over the years she has been there vairous stuff of hers has gone missing,rings,neckle
ss,gold chain, mobile phone etc, now she is over 90yrs old and her memory is not as good but i have noticed these things go missing and always reported them missing,two guess's who they were reported to and nothing ever turned up,i wonder why and
where are the records missing! By the way she commited herself to St Annes way of avoiding questions!
The police have investigated the residents missing belongings and found her not responsible, and cleared 100% of those allegations. Money was only taken from the safe... residents belongings in the safe were not touched!!
Letcommonsenseprevail
says...
5:42pm Wed 10 Oct 12
dvdr
says...
5:53pm Wed 10 Oct 12
If it really is, how do such things happen?
Who is kidding who?
Tigra63
says...
6:05pm Wed 10 Oct 12
bosco1 wrote:Temptation, greed..... try desperation.
Whilst this person is now seeking treatment it amazes me that she new what she was doing most adults know right from wrong.? Temptation or greed overtook as does most thefts. My thoughts are how many residents have been conned and they havent come to light as yet, when was this going to stop.The care home should have better security of residents belongings and money they look after lets hope they have learnt from this.
nosuchluck54
says...
6:30pm Wed 10 Oct 12
pete woodley
says...
6:39pm Wed 10 Oct 12
mummy123abc
says...
6:51pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Secondly mental illness is no excuse to steal from people who are ill and dying!
t.south
says...
7:02pm Wed 10 Oct 12
lorrainea
says...
7:14pm Wed 10 Oct 12
BournemouthMum wrote:Nope thats you being SPOT ON!
"Mr Flynn said Thompson had been treated in St Ann’s Hospital and was currently being treated by her doctor and the community health team"...
So she is having psychiatric care, due I suppose to "depression". A ploy to get a lighter sentence? Or is that just me being cynical?.
Tigra63
says...
7:15pm Wed 10 Oct 12
She got into financial problems.... pay day loans being the height of the problem!! She borrowed/took from the safe to pay them. ..... but it escalated out of her control!! She is mortified by what she did and holds her hands up 100%!! Twice she tried to take her own life, through feeling so bad!! Yep she took 2 grand it's very bad. But the elderly were what she cared about,and she tried so hard to put it back, but couldn't !!! Is it said how often she went into work at all hours, middle of the night, Xmas day... even tho she had her own family, and could of delegated!! Her job was her life!!!
We all get into a mess... stop judging, before you know the whole story!!!!!!
nosuchluck54
says...
7:20pm Wed 10 Oct 12
t.south wrote:do you actually know what you are saying, she robbed people of their money,doesnt matter if it was in the safe,on a table etc etc she robbed end of
She didnt rob anyone. Money was in her office she took it and put it back then took it again she was being harrased at work . What she done was bad but she isnt a monster. Before this incident she was a good caring nurse who offten raised money for charity. As I explained totally out of character and mentally ill
t.south
says...
7:42pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Gary Hawkins
says...
7:59pm Wed 10 Oct 12
nosuchluck54
says...
8:05pm Wed 10 Oct 12
t.south wrote:So reading a dictionary makes a difference to the people who had their money taken does it?
Wat r u saying! Read the paper it says theft not robbery. There is a difference
cycopath
says...
8:10pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Tigra63
says...
8:14pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Gary Hawkins wrote:When you all know the full story, feel free to slag her of!!! You dont know the full story and never will!!! So shut up... She made a big big mistake, that she so regrets!! Down to suicide twice and 7 weeks in a mental hospital. Held her hands up to what she has done, tendered her resignation and apologised!!! What more can she do??? Have you never made a mistake, i know i have, and yep she took few hundred from the elderly, the rest from petty cash! If she could pay it back, trust me she would of... but couldnt, not for want of trying!!
Funny how she only chose to take the "i am mental route" when people were on to her! 2 years???? what a load of tosh, she had been STEALING!!! not borrowing for many more years than that! i and many others are glad that finally this evil women has been named and shamed! justice will be served!!!!!
She not claiming mental illness to get of lightly... she has had a total break down... end of!! Wish i lived in everyones perfect little world, where none of you make big mistakes... that you deeply regret!!!!
Gary Hawkins
says...
8:15pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Dibbles2
says...
8:19pm Wed 10 Oct 12
worried son wrote:I can understand your concern but as other comments have stated you cannot just commit yourself to St Anns and to be honest if you suspected this why did you not go to the police? Safe guarding adults is there for a reason and if you dont report it to the relevant authorities then dont expect a satisfactory conclusion. In any event of theft at the very least under the circumstances you have described social services or the police would have been involved at some level so why did you not question this?
My mother is at that home she loves it there,but over the years she has been there vairous stuff of hers has gone missing,rings,neckle
ss,gold chain, mobile phone etc, now she is over 90yrs old and her memory is not as good but i have noticed these things go missing and always reported them missing,two guess's who they were reported to and nothing ever turned up,i wonder why and
where are the records missing! By the way she commited herself to St Annes way of avoiding questions!
Gary Hawkins
says...
8:24pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Dibbles2
says...
8:24pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Gary Hawkins wrote:You can still be depressed and go to work. Its just much harder and people react very differently. If you suffer depression for real then perhaps your own treatment is not very effective? A speople have said before it is very very difficult to get a bed in St Anns and therefore the decision wouldnt have been taken lightly and you dont know the facts! I know someone who is suicidal, homeless and starving hungry with immense mental health issues and he cant get a bed! What she did was wrong , yes but dont all be judge and jury over her mental health people because many of you have NO IDEA.
p.s i suffer from depression and you cant get out of bed!!! Thompson attended work and went out socially!! Hardly the symptoms of a depressed/mentally ill person! Shame on her for taking a bed for 7 weeks from a REAL mentally ill person!!!!!!
Bournefre
says...
8:31pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Lcchap
says...
8:36pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Rant over.
Gary Hawkins
says...
8:51pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Tigra63
says...
8:57pm Wed 10 Oct 12
cycopath wrote:Ohh and you have never made a big mistake, done something that you deeply regret!!! I dont defend her, just know the whole story.... as you should before you condem her! And i know i have made big mistakes and messed up..... You havent???
How possibly can anyone defend the actions of a thief who preys on vunerable people it is as low as one can stoop
Tigra63
says...
9:05pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Gary Hawkins wrote:Neither could she..... I cant put on her the extremes she went to, not to have to go to work and so on.. How dare you criticize about something you dont know the full story about!! What she has been through i wouldnt wish on my worst enemy!!! When you know the facts 100% ,...... then criticize!!!
p.s i suffer from depression and you cant get out of bed!!! Thompson attended work and went out socially!! Hardly the symptoms of a depressed/mentally ill person! Shame on her for taking a bed for 7 weeks from a REAL mentally ill person!!!!!!
Tigra63
says...
9:14pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Gary Hawkins wrote:And how are her mistakes effecting people now???? Come on... how
her BIG mistakes as you put it are still effecting people now!!!
Tigra63
says...
9:16pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Dibbles2
says...
9:21pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Gary Hawkins wrote:But you have stated you suffer from depression and therefore cant get out of bed? You stated people with depression cant work? Make your mind up!
my medication is very effective thank you and that is why i attend work!!! what medication was Thompson on before people were on to her??????
t.south
says...
9:55pm Wed 10 Oct 12
but you dont have a clue wat ur talking about
pete woodley
says...
10:15pm Wed 10 Oct 12
t.south
says...
10:40pm Wed 10 Oct 12
pete woodley
says...
10:42pm Wed 10 Oct 12
boby
says...
11:08pm Wed 10 Oct 12
Lcchap
says...
3:46am Thu 11 Oct 12
portia6
says...
4:43am Thu 11 Oct 12
your elderly mother/ father in their own
home if at all possible!
portia6
says...
4:43am Thu 11 Oct 12
your elderly mother/ father in their own
home if at all possible!
DUCKFEEDER
says...
6:39am Thu 11 Oct 12
cheeriedriteup wrote:could of been for a laser printer,but still shame on her,love you all x x x
Brock_and_Roll wrote:They clearly have up to date printers I guess, my one printer in my house costs £240 a year, are you still using dot matrix
As a fellow nursing home owner, I am slightly mystified as to why they had £1,000 worth of printer cartridges in the first place. We usually spend about £150 a year on them!
Letcommonsenseprevail
says...
7:05am Thu 11 Oct 12
DUCKFEEDER wrote:Ah, but maybe you only need to be spending £75........ I'd keep your eye on your staff if I were you...............
cheeriedriteup wrote:could of been for a laser printer,but still shame on her,love you all x x xBrock_and_Roll wrote: As a fellow nursing home owner, I am slightly mystified as to why they had £1,000 worth of printer cartridges in the first place. We usually spend about £150 a year on them!They clearly have up to date printers I guess, my one printer in my house costs £240 a year, are you still using dot matrix
Anyway, tell the prison warden to keep her out of the IT suite ....................
.
Dibbles2
says...
9:24am Thu 11 Oct 12
Lcchap wrote:Not just by the companies but by social services itself. Working in a similar field I have tried to report many a problem to be told there is nothing they can do.
I Believe that many safeguarding issues are covered up by the group of homes that this belongs to. They are masters of self publicity and have the right contacts with regulators etc but attempt to sweep stuff under the carpet, mainly I guess because of the blame culture that is present from the top down.
Say-it-how-it-is
says...
10:13am Thu 11 Oct 12
nosuchluck54 wrote:Sorry but there is no difference between robbery and theft. Read it up first before making a comment.
t.south wrote:So reading a dictionary makes a difference to the people who had their money taken does it?
Wat r u saying! Read the paper it says theft not robbery. There is a difference
http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Robbery
stevobath
says...
12:35pm Thu 11 Oct 12
cheeriedriteup wrote:As its owned by a big corporation, chances are a lot of printing is done,maybe this home has large storage space? Also the old cheese.Whenever things are nicked or insurance claimed its amazing how the price of said things goes through the roof!
Brock_and_Roll wrote:They clearly have up to date printers I guess, my one printer in my house costs £240 a year, are you still using dot matrix
As a fellow nursing home owner, I am slightly mystified as to why they had £1,000 worth of printer cartridges in the first place. We usually spend about £150 a year on them!
t.south
says...
2:01pm Thu 11 Oct 12
Say-it-how-it-is
says...
6:57pm Thu 11 Oct 12
t.south wrote:Oh right, so your saying they are wrong. Wow, you no better than them. What ever.
There is a difference between theft and robbery under english law so you neneed to do a bit more researching before you come at me with your wiki rubbish
t.south
says...
7:45pm Thu 11 Oct 12
pete woodley
says...
8:17pm Thu 11 Oct 12
t.south
says...
9:54pm Thu 11 Oct 12
pete woodley
says...
1:37pm Fri 12 Oct 12
t.south
says...
2:02pm Fri 12 Oct 12
bobsworthforever says...
9:01am Wed 10 Oct 12