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Oldham Council has launched an investigation after care home staff were filmed dancing on chairs and doing wheelies on a wheelchair.
Video footage of staff ‘partying’ at Stoneleigh House in Oldham triggered outrage among some members of the public when it appeared on social media.
In the footage, one member of staff is seen whizzing across the floor on a frame used by frail residents.
The same member of staff is helped by another to do a wheelie in a wheelchair.
About a dozen staff are dancing around the kitchen and communal area and stood up on chairs.
The party was said to have taken place after the staff had helped at a VE Day celebration for residents.
It is understood that no residents were present at the time.
The care home manager said all of the staff involved will be suspended and that an investigation will take place.
Diane Riley, manager of the home in Cooper Street, Springhead, said: “There was a party held for the residents to celebrate VE Day which finished at about 8.30pm.
“After that staff and others who had come in to volunteer to help with the celebration went into the dining room area. It was closed and no residents were in there – most residents were in bed.
“The staff were off duty and and I think this gathering started at about 9.30pm. I was not there myself, I had gone home.
“There were some high spirits and unacceptable behavior. We have started an investigation and once identified those involved will be suspended while the investigation takes place.”
On Sunday, Oldham Council says it has now launched its own investigation into the ‘unacceptable behavior’ of the staff.
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The council confirmed that all those involved have been suspended and that the area where the footage was filmed has been ‘closed off to residents while a deep clean is carried out’.
As a precaution, all residents will now also be tested for COVID-19.
Cllr Zahid Chauhan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Oldham Council, said: “The immediate launch of our safeguarding procedures shows you just how seriously we are treating this.
“The scenes showed in video footage are totally unacceptable.
“Our focus is the safety of all residents and to ensure that the care delivered at the home is of the highest possible standard.”
The council, along with the private company that owns the care home, has ensured that there is adequate staff cover following the suspensions.
The Oldham Safeguarding Partnership is also reviewing the care home’s infection prevention measures.
The care home, run by Master Palm Properties Ltd, was ranked as ‘good’ in four out of five areas by the Care Quality Commission in 2019 – for effective service, caring, responsiveness, and being well led.
But it ‘required improvement’ for safety.
The home, converted from a large former private residence, cares for 24 elderly people, including some living with dementia.
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