Care home manager who stole over £90k from a resident is struck off

A care home manager who stole more than £90k from a resident has been struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Carleen Wilkins, who worked at a care home in Birmingham’s Handsworth Wood, was jailed in October last year for 31 months, after admitting to stealing money from a 97-year-old resident over a 40-month period.

A total of £98,730 was stolen, which Wilkins used to gamble and pay off loans.

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The NMC described her actions as ‘dishonesty was at the top end of the spectrum of dishonesty’ and said she had ‘breached fundamental tenets of the nursing profession’.

Wilkins qualified as a nurse in 2005 and became manager at the care home in Handsworth Wood in 2011.

Reaching the decision to strike Wilkins off, the NMC described her behaviour as ‘premeditated’ and ‘systematic actions of fraud’.

“Ms Wilkins’ conduct and behaviour clearly fall far below the standards expected of a registered nurse,” the report said, adding her actions “seriously undermine public confidence in the [nursing] profession”.

The victim lived at the home from 2012 until February 2016, during which time Wilkins had full control of her accounts and withdrew hundreds of pounds each day.

She formed a close bond with the victim, who allowed Wilkins to control her finances due to a “mistrust of her immediate family and banks,” the NMC report said.

Wilkins later admitted withdrawing the money but denied any wrongdoing, claiming the victim did not trust the bank and had spent the money on sherry.