Two care home workers accused of neglecting a vulnerable patient

Wilful neglect: Prosecutors told Dundee Sheriff court the pair failed to carry out appropriate checks on Mr Taylor.

Two care home workers have been accused of wilfully neglecting a patient.

Joan Martinez and Sumita Rasario are alleged to have over-sedated patient Robert Taylor and soaked in his own urine at the Rosebank Care Home in Dundee last November.

The incident happened just weeks after inspectors gave the home the lowest possible rating.

This was followed by operators Four Seasons announcing that they were to shut it down, after it emerged that one resident in the home, which cares for 32 adults with learning disabilities, was left locked in her room.

Inspectors criticised shortfalls in staffing and poor practise in completing medical records and carrying out blood tests on diabetic patients.

Martinez and Rasario, both from Dundee, face charges over the treatment of Mr Taylor between November 18 and 19 last year, accused of failing to provide adequate care, leaving him soaked in his own urine and administering an excessive amount of medication.

They are alleged to have further wilfully neglected him by failing to dress him properly, not cleaning him after feeding him and not having his bed in the correct position or suitably inflated.

Prosecutors said that the pair failed to carry out appropriate checks on Mr Taylor or properly record his condition which resulted in him sustaining injuries on his face and body which were left untreated and unaccounted for.

Martinez and Rasario were not present at Dundee Sheriff Court on Friday to face the charges against them, which are brought under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Kevin Hampton, representing Rasario, asked for the case against her to be continued without plea for three weeks.

He said: "That is for investigation and negotiation with the Crown."

Martinez's solicitor sent a letter to the court pleading not guilty.

Sheriff Elizabeth Munro set trial for Martinez in September, with a pre-trial hearing in August. The case against Rasario will call again in July for a plea to be entered.

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