A nurse accused of a catalogue of misconduct at an Ilkley care home has said she found the claims "completely abominable".

Barbara Falkingham faces disciplinary action for a number of allegations spanning the two years she worked at the Rombolds Care Home as a qualified nurse supervising night shifts.

A medical professional conduct committee heard she regularly slept during shifts, verbally abused residents, did not attend their needs and laughed after giving an elderly non-smoker a lit cigarette.

Giving evidence to the case in Leeds for the first time yesterday, Mrs Falkingham said: "I often relaxed and often shut my eyes. But I was alert. I heard everything."

Under questioning she admitted she "may have dozed off for a moment or two".

Mrs Falkingham, who was sacked after a matron allegedly found her sleeping during a spot check, also denied swearing and verbally abusing those in her care.

She said: "I don't use those words. I think they are appalling.

"These are statements I would never use let alone to residents."

David Glendinning, prosecuting, said Mrs Falkingham had regularly slept because she was tired after working at the home, at another job and also looking after three young children - a charge she denied.

"There were occasions you told staff not to go into residents' rooms because you didn't want them up and disturbing you."

But Mrs Falkingham argued she had been a very good team leader and was "always first up" to answer residents' buzzers which they used to get attention during the night.

Mrs Falkingham said claims that she had turned off buzzers and ordered other care assistants to do the same were completely unfounded.

When asked why staff would lie about the claims Mrs Falkingham said she did not know but some of the care assistants may have been motivated by envy.

She added that a former matron Janet Smith had "engineered" some of the claims against her after she spoke out against the way she acted.

But Mrs Falkingham said she got on well with both the staff and the residents and had no real problems during her time there. She said: "I was generally very happy at Rombolds. Residents were loving and there were some real characters there.

"I got on well with staff and residents alike and I treated them as I would want to be treated and how I would treat my own family."

On the night of the spot check when several of the residents were found to be lying in wet beds, Mrs Falkingham said this was not unusual. But she added she could not account why one resident was naked and another was inappropriately dressed.

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