Care Worker Steals £4k from 95-Year-Old in Final Days

A senior carer has been removed from the social care register after systematically stealing thousands of pounds from a vulnerable 95-year-old resident at a North Wales care home. 💔

Lisa-Marie Edwards, who worked at Snowdon Care Home in Llanberis between February 2020 and January 2023, took the elderly resident’s bank card without permission and made 28 unauthorised withdrawals totalling £4,181.78.

A Social Care Wales fitness to practise panel heard that the victim, who had no family in the area and relied on care home staff to manage her finances, discovered the theft just one week before her death.

Panel chair Gill Murgatroyd stated: “It is therefore highly likely that her final days were spent in the knowledge that she was a victim of theft.”

The panel was told Edwards made withdrawals of £100-£200 from a Spar shop ATM near the care home while supposedly collecting newspapers for residents. Further transactions were made from supermarket ATMs at a Bangor retail park when she was off work sick.

Edwards did not attend the hearing, admit to the charges, or provide any written material in her defence.

The panel concluded Edwards’ actions were “dishonest and lacked integrity” and showed “no evidence of remorse” as she had not engaged in the proceedings. They added: “There is no evidence that Miss Edwards would not act in a similar way or make similar decisions again.”

After reviewing the case, Ms Murgatroyd said: “We have therefore decided that only a removal order will be appropriate. This is because in our view there has been a serious departure from the relevant standard in the code.”