Hospital worker slapped dementia patient on bottom, court told

The trial is being held at Gloucester Crown Court

A member of staff at a psychiatric hospital has gone on trial accused of slapping a dementia patient while ordering him to get off the floor.

Jason Woolridge, 51, allegedly found the 76-year-old on his hands and knees and slapped him across the bottom, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

The action caused the man to cry out in distress, a jury was told.

Mr Woolridge, of Framilode, Gloucestershire, denies ill treating the man at the hospital in Cheltenham.

The alleged victim, a father-of-three, was admitted to the Willow Ward at Charlton Lane Hospital on 19 December 2019.

Prosecutor Rupert Russell said he had been diagnosed with advanced dementia and "was deemed not to have capacity and didn't have any short term memory".

He added: "He was frequently confused and agitated."

'Slapped him'

The man was being looked after by a team of health care professionals who are trained to look after patients with advanced dementia, which included Mr Woolridge.

Mr Russell said: "After [the victim] had been at the hospital for just over two weeks he was spotted in the lounge being in a position on all fours, on his hands and knees.

"Dementia patients often feel safer when they are close to the floor, so it's not an uncommon sight in the hospital.

"Mr Woolridge approached [the man] and in a very firm voice told him to get up off the floor. He then is alleged to have slapped him across the bottom a couple of times.

"[The man] was heard to cry out in distress. Mr Woolridge is said to have continued to order [him] to get up when he knees him in the bottom. To which [he] screams out again.

"Mr Woolridge then picks up [the alleged victim] and carries him back to his seat in the lounge."

Mr Russell told the jury the mere slapping of a patient would be considered ill treatment.

It was witnessed by two fellow health care workers and heard by the office manager, he added.

'Felt shocked'

An internal investigation was held at the hospital following receipt of an anonymous complaint on 7 January to the Care Quality Commission. The incident was also reported to police, Mr Russell added.

The man's wife told the jury her husband had been diagnosed with dementia in 2016 and lost his independence in 2017.

She added that over time he had become more and more agitated.

"In the first few days of the new year [in 2020] I was informed of the alleged assault. I felt shocked as I thought [he] was in the best possible place to get the care he needed," she added.

Stephen Donnelly, defending, told the jury Mr Woolridge, who started work on the ward in August 2019, denies the slapping happened.

The trial continues.