A care home nurse in Wales has been struck off after a disciplinary panel found she took advantage of a 99-year-old resident and obtained the woman's £400,000 ($533,000) house, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) said.
Rebecca Louise Burwood, the deputy manager at Bryn Yr Haul Care Home in Mold, Wales, used her position over the woman for her own personal and financial gain between 2017 and 2023, according to the NMC.
Move to the home and power of attorney
Burwood knew the woman before she entered the home and arranged her move there in March 2018. Two months later, Burwood was registered as the resident's lasting power of attorney for her money and property, along with a friend who was the woman's former neighbour.
The panel found Burwood acted dishonestly by not telling the care home that she held that power.
Bank withdrawals and spending
According to the NMC, more than £370,000 ($493,000) left the resident's bank account, including £160,000 ($212,950) in large cash withdrawals at ATMs.
There is evidence the money paid for Burwood's house improvements, utility bills and council tax, and there are allegations that some of it went toward cosmetic surgery.
The panel found Burwood got the house, £20,000 ($26,618) for a car and money for her own bills through manipulation or coercion.
The woman had no family and relied on Burwood for social contact. The panel found Burwood told her she could not have days out unless Burwood had access to her money. After the bank froze the account, Burwood took the resident to the bank to try to get it unfrozen.
Panel's findings
The panel said: "The panel determined that Mrs. Burwood intentionally embarked on this course of conduct to conceal her plans to further exploit Resident A. The panel determined such conduct is morally reprehensible, shows premeditated behaviour and indicates a deep-seated attitudinal problem."
Burwood admitted the facts behind several of the charges but denied manipulating or coercing the woman, saying she saw her as a grandmother.
In a written statement, Burwood said: "Looking back now, I recognise that I saw [Resident A] as a Nanna, not a client, and therefore my professional boundaries became blurred."
Police referral
The bank referred the case to North Wales Police in March 2023, but police took no further action because the woman did not want to make a complaint. The resident has since died.
