Buckinghamshire care home manager admits to safeguarding failure after sexualised behaviour incidents

A former registered manager at Chesham Bois Manor, which is run by B&M Investments organisation, pleaded guilty to failing to safeguard people from abuse and improper treatment.

At a Brighton Magistrates Court hearing Aleksandra Krawczynska was ordered to pay £1,082 in relation to the case.

Krawczynska’s convictions relate to her response to inappropriate behaviour that was reported at the care home.

One person living at the manor was accused of sexual touching people without consent and exposing themselves. An investigation from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that the individual was receiving treatment at hospital after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, before moving to the manor. The person’s memory, cognitive ability, and reasoning had all been affected by the disease.

A CQC report discovered that there were multiple recorded incidents of inappropriate sexualised behaviour by this person toward other people living at the home. None of the people involved in these incidents had capacity to consent, the CQC adds.

It says that Krawczynska failed to implement effective systems, policies and processes for timely risk assessment and management to prevent risks posed by this person to prevent abuse of other people living at Chesham Bois Manor.

She also failed to ensure effective implementation of policies and processes for conducting timely investigations following alleged incidents of inappropriate sexualised behaviour, according to the report.

Amy Jupp, CQC deputy director of operations in the south, said: "The registered manager’s failure to protect vulnerable people in their care from a resident whose risks to other residents ought to have been known to her is shocking. What makes it worse is the risks they were exposed to would have been avoided had Aleksandra Krawczynska done what was required of her under CQC regulations and under the homes’ own safeguarding policy.

“When registered managers don’t perform their duties as they should, we can and will take action to hold them to account and protect people they are responsible for.

“This case should remind care managers they must always take all reasonable steps to manage risks to people’s safety, including ensuring people are safeguarded from abuse and ensuring that systems and processes in place are effectively operated in practice.”

A spokesperson for B&M Care said: “Throughout this investigation B&M Care has worked closely with CQC and liaised with the appropriate regulators. When we became aware of the situation we acted immediately and Ms Krawczynska was dismissed in November 2021. The care, wellbeing and safety of our residents and staff remain our priority.”

Editor’s note: This article was updated to include a comment from the care provider