An adult care home manager from Neath Port Talbot has been removed from the Register of Social Care Workers after a Social Care Wales review hearing found her fitness to practise was currently impaired.
Melanie Swindley had conditions placed on her registration for 12 months by a Social Care Wales fitness to practise panel in February 2021.
Following a hearing last week to review the progress Ms Swindley had made in meeting the conditions placed on her registration, the panel found Ms Swindley’s fitness to practise was still currently impaired.
The panel concluded that while Ms Swindley had attempted to meet some of the conditions placed on her registration, she hadn’t fully met them.
Explaining its decision, the panel said: “Ms Swindley’s absence today means that, whilst the panel that sat in February 2021 appeared to be of the view that the conduct that led to the charge she faced was capable of remediation, we cannot conclude that it has been remedied and is highly unlikely to be repeated.”
The panel continued: “Ms Swindley has not sufficiently engaged with and addressed the concerns raised by the panel in February 2021. This leads us to what we consider to be the inescapable conclusion that her fitness to practise is still currently impaired.”
The panel therefore decided to remove Ms Swindley from the Register, saying: “On the material before us, which includes the lack of evidence of insight, lack of remediation (and, therefore, a real risk of repetition), we do not consider that any lesser disposal would protect the public.
“We also consider that, given Ms Swindley’s lack of engagement with the Conditional Registration Order, and the absence of any co-operation with this review process, public confidence in social care regulation would be undermined if Ms Swindley remained on the Register.”
Ms Swindley was not present at the one-day review hearing, which took place over Zoom last week.