The daughter-in-law of an elderly woman mistreated by care home workers broke down in tears as she read a statement in court accusing the south Essex facility of serious failures.
The family of pensioner Doreen Austin were left “shocked, betrayed and unable to trust those who had been responsible for her care,” when the neglect was exposed, the statement said.
Mrs Austin's son Mark wrote: “I am left with the knowledge of the pain, fear and distress she experienced when she should have been receiving a high standard of care.”
Two care home employees were sentenced this week after the abuse was captured on a camera hidden at the Gifford House Care Home, London Road, by Mr Austin.
He had hidden it after repeatedly finding his mum covered in urine or faeces.
Basildon Crown Court heard on Thursday (October 29) how carer Tabitha Thami was filmed stepping over 89-year-old Mrs Austin after she fell , ignoring her cries of pain and pleas for help.
Senior nurse Naomi Anie then ordered the agonised dementia patient, who had broken her hip, to “shut it” and accused her of lying about her injuries.
Alison Austin entered the witness box on Thursday to read a statement written by her husband Mark, accusing the home of falsely claiming his mum had fallen out of bed.
His secret footage revealed that was not the case. She had in fact been stood naked, waiting for Thami to make her bed, when she collapsed.
“Discovering that the account we were given did not reflect the events showed in the footage was devastating,” Mr Austin wrote.
“One of the most distressing aspects has been seeing the CCTV footage of what happened to my mum.
“Hearing her crying out in pain while watching a carer step over her, ignoring my mum as she begged for help, and then seeing the lead nurse shouting at her, is something I will never be able to erase from my memory.”
Mrs Austin was admitted to the home in 2022 after a fall, the court heard, but had appeared to be improving, having put on weight and regained sufficient strength to get herself out of bed.
“We had begun discussing bringing Mum home with a package of care, as we believed she was recovering well enough for that to be a realistic possibility,” wrote Mr Austin.
“For the first time in a long time, we felt we were getting our mum back.”
But after the second fall in October 2023, he said, “That hope was taken away.”
“Those entrusted with her care failed her when she was at her most vulnerable,” Mr Austin wrote.
“She was a much-loved mother and grandmother whose life had value and whose dignity mattered.”
Describing his mother as “one of the most vulnerable members of society,” he told the court: “We placed our complete trust in the care home… That trust was profoundly broken.”
As he sentenced the two care workers, who each pleaded guilty to one charge of neglecting a patient in their care, Judge Richard Conley said: “This is a very difficult sentencing exercise. We have all been moved, I’m sure, by listening to the words of Mr Austin, read out by his wife.
“It is clear Mrs Austin was a very much-loved mother, grandmother and family member, who will forever be missed.
“It is a real tragedy that someone who lived such a long and fruitful and happy life has had it end in such circumstances of indignity.
“No sentence that I can pass can possibly make up for that and I have to retain a sense of proportion in the sentence I pass upon you.”
He imposed non-custodial sentences on both women, saying his hands were tied by sentencing guidance from the Court of Appeal.
Anie, 66, of Gambleside, Basildon, received an 18-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work.
Thami, 27, now of Summer Bank Road in Stoke on Trent, was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work.
AMS Care, which runs the home, apologised in a statement to the Echo.
"Such conduct was wholly unacceptable and entirely inconsistent with the values and standards of care that we expect within our organisation," it said.
"We recognise that this incident represented a failure by the individuals to meet the standards we rightly expect, and we deeply regret that it occurred.
"Following our disciplinary process, their employment was terminated for gross misconduct."
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