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An Auckland rest home has dismissed two workers for allegedly abusing two women in their care.
Qualcare Meadowbank alleges the workers abused residents on two occasions when they were working the night shift.
The pair, who deny harming anyone, are alleged to have pinched and smacked a woman on July 14. A week later, they are alleged to have shaken and verbally abused another woman.
Qualcare dismissed the workers on August 18 after a three-week suspension and two disciplinary meetings.
One of the workers told the Herald she had not been able to find employment since she was dismissed. She plans to take her case to the Employment Relations Authority.
The woman, a mother of five who worked at the rest home for 18 years before she was fired, said she did not touch the resident alleged to have been grabbed and shaken on the night in question. She did not take the elderly woman to the toilet as usual because she had asked to be left alone.
But in a letter to the dismissed woman, Qualcare said it did not believe that. Bruises found on the resident and the fact that her bed was not wet in the morning suggested she had been taken to the toilet that night.
Qualcare alleged the worker was angry and rude to the point where the resident did not want to go to the toilet for fear of upsetting her.
However, the Herald understands a family member of the other resident alleged to have been abused asked Qualcare not to take any action against the workers because her relation made up stories. The relative said the two women had been "fantastic" at caring for her family.
The workers' union representative could not be reached for comment.
A Qualcare spokeswoman said the company did not normally comment on individual employment matters but said the company followed due process and "we are confident we conducted a thorough and fair investigation."
