Covid: Visits by carer with suspected coronavirus 'gobsmacking'

Care worker Samantha Gould carried out home visits while suspected of having Covid-19, a tribunal is told

A manager said she was gobsmacked when she discovered one of her care workers had carried out home visits while she was suspected of having Covid-19.

Samantha Gould faces seven charges from Social Care Wales, including visiting people between 9 and 15 June 2020 when she had been told to isolate.

In February, a tribunal suspended her for 18 months for 22 visits for First Grade Care in Cardiff.

Her manager Toni Sartin said she made the visits after she sent her home.

Ms Sartin told the fitness to practise hearing Ms Gould appeared "groggy and disorientated" and "just not with it" when she turned up for work three hours late at 11:00 in June 2020.

• Care home staff shortage adding pressure on NHS

• Carer shortage leaves Wrexham man, 89, stuck in hospital

• Coronavirus: Worst affected care homes revealed by watchdog

She said she told Ms Gould to contact her GP.

Following that appointment, she said Ms Gould told her the GP said she was "carrying Covid" but would not give her a Covid test as she was not presenting symptoms.

She said Ms Gould also told her the doctor had told her to self-isolate.

Ms Sartin said she arranged Covid tests for herself and her employees and closed the office. She added that she got her test result the next day, but Ms Gould told her she had not received hers.

She said she told Ms Gould to remove herself from the care rota as she was still self-isolating.

'She was very apologetic'

The hearing was told Ms Gould was part of a large team that was able to cover her absence.

Ms Gould is alleged to have subsequently gone on several visits and logged them in the company's internal systems.

"When she confirmed that she carried out the calls, I was just gobsmacked if I'm honest," Ms Sartin said.

"I asked her why - she knew she was supposed to be self-isolating - I also asked her again had she had her negative test result... she was very apologetic, confirmed that she hadn't had her test result and that she felt better so she thought it was OK to carry out calls."

Ms Gould was not present at the hearing, but in a written statement claimed she was told over the phone that her test was negative and she relayed this to her manager.

"That conversation didn't happen in any circumstance," Ms Sartin said.

Ms Gould told her tribunal last year that, during her visits, she "kept her distance" and "had an apron, gloves and mask".

Ms Gould is also alleged to have falsely attempted to claim payment for work carried out by an unauthorised member of staff, said she had completed calls when she had not, placed staff and service users at unnecessary risk of harm and to have misled her new employer, Care Cymru, about the investigation into her conduct.

The hearing continues.