Former Care Assistants To Be Sentenced Next Month

By Rob Dixon

Two care assistants are due to be sentenced next month after being found guilty of the mistreatment of disabled patients placed in their care  at the Solar Centre at St Catherine’s Hospital in Doncaster.

James Hinds, 59, and Susan Murphy, 43, were found guilty of ill treating a total of 12 patients, all of whom are vulnerable adults with limited communication abilities and physical disabilities, following a month-long trial into allegations of abuse at the facility.

All of the incidents were heard in court to have happened between January 2005 and March 2007.

The pair are now expected to be sentencing on June 14th.

Luke Daniels, a Partner and medical negligence specialist at Irwin Mitchell, said: “The loved ones of vulnerable adults in care put great faith and trust in such services, expecting that their relatives and friends will be treated with dignity and respect.

“The concerns raised in this case are clearly a massive concern and there will be many people wanting further answers as to how the problems identified were allowed to happen.

“It is absolutely vital that the NHS in South Yorkshire and beyond learn lessons from an incident of this nature, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that the terrible problems seen in this case are simply not repeated again.

“Through our work, we have seen the terrible physical and psychological injuries caused as a result of neglect and abuse and it is imperative that authorities do everything they can to prevent further problems of this kind from arising in the future.”

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in relation to Neglect and Abuse claims