Latest news with #supportworker
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Worker at Berkshire psychiatric hospital where girl, 14, died, had no experience, inquest hears
A support worker with a false identity who left a vulnerable 14-year-old girl unwatched in a secure psychiatric ward during his first shift had never worked in a hospital before, the teenager's inquest has heard. Following the death of Ruth Szymankiewicz, police found the support worker had 'stolen' the false identity, had a fake passport and was able to get the shift at the hospital through an agency after brief training. CCTV footage played to the inquest jury on Tuesday appeared to show Ruth going into her room at Huntercombe hospital in Maidenhead, Berkshire and closing the door, though she was supposed to be under 1:1 observation. The footage suggested Ruth was left alone and unobserved in her room for 15 minutes. There was no sign of the support worker. While in her room, Ruth is believed to have carried out an act of self harm that led to her death. After 15 minutes another staff member went into her room and raised the alarm. Sgt Francesca Keen of Thames Valley police told the inquest that the support worker tasked with watching Ruth at that time arrived in the UK about three months before and stole the name Ebo Acheampong from a 'completely innocent man'. He signed up with a healthcare recruitment agency called Platinum. Keen said: 'They felt they had checked his ID and were dealing with a legitimate person.' The inquest heard his training consisted of a day or day-and-a-half course, much of which was e-learning. The day after completing his training, he was given what Keen said was his 'first and only shift' at Huntercombe and in the evening was put in charge of watching Ruth, who had a serious eating disorder. Keen was asked if there was anything to suggest he had worked at any other hospital before. She replied: 'No.' The officer said that the worker had claimed he left Ruth alone to help with another emergency nearby. But the CCTV footage played in court showed no evidence of this. Five days later, the man flew from the UK for Ghana via Heathrow. The officer said police now knew his true identity but did not have evidence to charge him and he could not be extradited. Ruth's parents, Kate and Mark Szymankiewicz, a GP and a consultant surgeon, have strongly criticised the standard of care at Huntercombe, which was run by the company Active Care Group and has now closed. They are also critical that Ruth was being detained more than 70 miles from their home in Wiltshire. In a statement read out in court, Mark Szymankiewicz said he felt Ruth was 'in limbo' – Huntercombe was not an appropriate place for her but there was nowhere else for her to go. The jury heard an extract from Ruth's notebook in which she claimed there was 'non existent' therapy at the hospital and said staff slept on their shift. She described it as the 'shittest mental institution'. Ruth's parents are concerned she had unchecked access to her mobile phone. The inquest was told that in the weeks before her death she did research on methods of suicide and how many calories were in food including eggs, slices of toast and cereal. The hearing at Buckinghamshire coroner's court continues. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Households have just HOURS left to get £100 fuel vouchers – see if you're eligible
HOUSEHOLDS have just hours left to get help applying for free £100 fuel vouchers to cover energy bills. The aid comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £742million and has been shared between councils in England. 1 Councils have until March 31, 2026, to distribute their share of the fund. Local authorities decide who to offer support to and what form it will take. Leicestershire County Council is issuing hard-up households electronic fuel vouchers worth up to £98. Single households are eligible for vouchers worth £56 while family households can get £98. The e-vouchers can be redeemed at PayPoint stations. No direct applications can be made, however, and you must be referred from a professional support worker or agency. This can include a registered charity, a school, food bank or care organisation. Leicestershire County Council says the current round of HSF will close to new referrals tomorrow (August 4), so households have just hours left to speak with a professional and get help applying. Before doing this, you'll need to have met eligibility criteria though. This includes proving you're struggling to heat your home or having fallen behind on bills, while being a Leicestershire resident. Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence The full qualifying criteria can be found via: What about if I don't live in Leicestershire? Because councils have until March next year to administer their share of funding from the HSF, you might still be able to get help in your local area. But this depends on where you live, because each council is responsible for issuing its share of the fund. Some local authorities are already distributing their share while others haven't opened applications yet. The type of help you will receive depends on where you live, with some local authorities giving out cash payments and others vouchers for food or energy. Some councils are also opening their HSF up to community groups who are then responsible for giving out grants or other help to residents in need. Usually, but not always, councils distribute their share of the HSF to those on benefits, a low income or classed as vulnerable. Most councils have pages on their websites dedicated to the HSF which contain eligibility criteria and what type of help you can get. Other help if you're on a low income It's worth checking if you're eligible for benefits - it could boost your bank balance by thousands of pounds a year. Some benefits come with added perks as well, like Pension Credit which can unlock a free TV licence for those aged 75 or older. Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for. Meanwhile, if you're struggling with the cost of food, check where your nearest food bank is. The Trussell Trust has hundreds of food banks across the UK, and you can find your nearest one here - The Trust's food banks issue emergency parcels to people who cannot afford to cover costs themselves. If you have fallen behind on your energy bills, you might be able to get a grant to wipe any debt. British Gas and Octopus Energy, the UK's two biggest energy firms, both run schemes offering customers grants worth up to £2,000. Some energy firms will debt match any repayments as well.
Daily Mail
19-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Victoria blamed her bloating on a food allergy. Then three months later she saw the sign everyone dreads... and was diagnosed with stage-three bowel cancer at just 39
When Victoria Collins found herself being forced to lie down last June because she was so bloated after dinner, she knew that something was wrong. The adult support care worker from Hamilton, near Glasgow, had never experienced anything like it.
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Guilty, carer who had sex with disabled man she was looking after
A care worker engaged in sexual activity with a cerebral palsy sufferer she was supposed to be looking after. Megan Neilson, 28, was appointed to support the 29-year-old man who also has epilepsy and a learning disability. The pair quickly developed a close friendship which eventually led to them both declaring that they loved each other. Neilson repeatedly kissed and cuddled him during trips to a bowling alley and at Strathclyde Park while she later performed a sex act on him in a car parked at the Falkirk Wheel. Their relationship came to light after the pair turned up hand-in-hand at his dad's house and told him they were together. Neilson told the sickened father she would resign from her role as a support worker but police were called in. Neilson, of Airdrie, Lanarkshire, denied any wrongdoing and the case subsequently went to trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court. But jurors took an hour to convict her of engaging in sexual activity with the man while being a person who provided care services to him. Jurors were shown a police interview with the man where he told them how he believed he was in a relationship with Neilson and described sexual acts between them. He said: 'She said if anybody found out about us she would lose her job, her daughter and her college course. I felt awkward because this had never happened to me before.' When asked how he felt about telling his parents and the police about Neilson, he replied: 'I feel as if I made her a promise and broke it.' His father told the court he had been 'suspicious' of the pair before they visited him and revealed the relationship. He recalled: 'They said 'we've something to tell you, we are in a relationship' and it took a while for it to sink in. 'I questioned Megan that it would be so wrong because she was one of his carers and she said 'I'm going to leave anyway so it will be fine'. The father added: 'I was in shock but then realised my suspicion was confirmed that there was something going on and I had this sickly feeling because it was a major breach of trust by the support worker working with him. He is still not the same wee laddie.' The court was also shown messages that had been sent from Neilson to the man. One said: 'I love you. If it means losing everything, that's fine.' However, she then added: 'Delete this, mind.' Neilson denied that there had ever been any sexual contact between the pair but said she resigned from her support role after developing an 'emotional relationship' with him. The mother-of-two added: 'I'm not sure why he has said this, it was maybe because he couldn't be with me but I can't get my head round it. I feel terrible, it has affected me really, really badly and it has given me a lot of anxiety but there was nothing sexual between me and him.' Depute fiscal Lewis Devoy told jurors Neilson had committed a 'gross breach of trust' and said the man had 'no reason' to lie. Lewis Kennedy, defence advocate, told the jury: 'Her position is really straightforward and that is she was only involved in an emotional relationship with the complainer and that it was never sexual.' Sheriff Linda Nicolson deferred sentence on the first offender until next month for reports and continued her bail. Neilson, who is now unemployed, was placed on the sex offenders register.
Sky News
29-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Fife school support worker who boasted of 'selling vapes to 11-year-olds' struck off
A support worker who sent inappropriate messages to children on Snapchat and found herself in the dock for buying a vape for a 12-year-old has been struck off. Gillian Sorbie has been reprimanded by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for using "abusive and threatening" language when messaging a 12-year-old girl and for offering to buy nicotine vapes for another schoolgirl and her friends. Sorbie's bad behaviour occurred while employed as a pupil support officer with Fife Council at a Glenrothes primary school and while registered as a support worker in a children's day care service Between 7 and 9 March 2023, she sent a raft of Snapchat messages to a 12-year-old girl. Many were littered with swear words, with other messages saying "love you too, s**gbag", "just you wait till tomorrow, stupid fat wh**e", and "try not to kill yourself while I'm gone". Between 1 September and 2 October 2023, she then sent messages to a second 12-year-old girl. Sorbie offered to buy a vape for the child, asking: "Any particular type or flavour you want?" She also offered to buy vapes for the girl's friends, and in one message sent an image of the electronic devices with the caption: "Vapes £13 each or two for £20. 4,000 puffs each. Amazing value. DM me if you want any." During one handover, Sorbie advised the girl to give the money to one person, who would then jump in her car for the delivery and "dish them out" after she was gone. Sorbie said it would have to "be subtle", adding: "Got to be kept quiet, though. I can't have folk (people) knowing I'm selling vapes to 11-year-olds lol." She later messaged: "I trust you gals not to rat me out." Sorbie, however, later found herself in the dock and was last September convicted at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court of selling a nicotine vape to a 12-year-old. Ruling Sorbie's fitness to practise impaired, the SSSC has this month issued a removal order to strike her name from the watchdog's children and young people's workforce register - which effectively bans her from working in the industry. The SSSC said Sorbie provided two former pupils of the primary school where you worked with her contact details and then "repeatedly contacted them both on a social media messaging application". It said her actions were "further aggravated" by the "abusive" content of the messages. "You offered to sell nicotine vape devices to a child. This is an abuse of the trust placed in you by your employer and the parents of the children you were entrusted to care for," it added. The watchdog said Sorbie's misconduct "risked damaging the mental and emotional health" of the girls, adding: "Your actions also risked causing a child physical and emotional harm as that child could become addicted to nicotine." The SSSC said Sorbie attempted to delete messages as a parent of one of the children was trying to save them in an "attempt to conceal" her wrongdoing. The watchdog said Sorbie had offered "no insight or apology" for her behaviour, and her engagement with its investigation had been "limited". The SSSC added: "We did not consider there were any factors in your favour." In conclusion, the watchdog said a removal order was the "most appropriate sanction" to maintain the "continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession". The removal order came into effect on Saturday. Sharon McKenzie, head of HR at Fife Council, said: "As a responsible employer, we don't discuss the individual circumstances of any current or former employees."
