A FORMER care home manager who "failed to keep patients safe" has been struck off.

Keith Garside was suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in February after it found he had failed to obtain CRB checks for staff he hired and failed to adequately prepare news nurses.

Mr Garside, formerly of Bowburn Care Centre in Bowburn, near Durham, has now been struck off after failing to engage with the NMC.

A hearing in London, held in the absence of Mr Bowburn, found his “misconduct involved a serious departure from professional standards in nursing".

In its findings, the panel noted: "By failing to obtain CRB checks on two members of staff, Mr Garside put all the residents within the home at risk of harm.

"It is also apparent from the previous panel’s reasoning that Mr Garside demonstrated a cavalier attitude in his approach as a manager of the home and in his failure to adequately orientate staff on their commencement of employment."

The findings added: “Whilst the panel notes that the previous panel was of the view that Mr Garside’s failings were remediable and hence it imposed a period of conditions of practice order, it is of concern that Mr Garside has failed to comply with that order.

“Mr Garside was to produce, for this hearing, a reflective piece to demonstrate his understanding of the impact of his shortcomings on patient safety and he has not done so.

“This failure to comply with that order demonstrates Mr Garside’s cavalier attitude to his regulator."

there was no-one available for comment at St Philips Care, which owns the Bowburn Care Centre.