A CARE home manager has been struck off after allowing 21 out of the 24 patients in his care to be neglected.

Keith Griggs was the manager of the New Grange Care Home in Worthing but a whistleblower raised concerns about the way residents at the home were treated.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has now banned him from practising.

It said that Mr Griggs’ conduct “over a significant period of time and in relation to a significant number of residents, was not acceptable and fell below the standards expected of all registered nurses and midwives”.

An investigation found that he failed “to provide competent and safe care at all times” after a former member of staff contacted West Sussex County Council’s social services department.

The council found a number of failings in Mr Grigg’s management of the home between January 2007 and November 2011.

Investigators found that there was no plan in place to protect a patient who was at risk of falls.

Another patient had been aggressive to staff and other patients on 52 separate occasions, but there were no guidelines for staff on how to deal with him.

And a third patient died before an end of life plan had been discussed with relatives.

The investigation also found that no explanation could be found for why a fourth patient was cared for in bed for 18 months.

Mr Griggs did not attend a hearing of the Nursing and Midwifery Council which ruled in his absence that he must be struck off.

The panel said: “Mr Griggs’ actions were absolute departures from the standards expected of a registered nurse, and are fundamentally incompatible with him remaining on the register.

“The panel was of the view that the findings in this particular case demonstrate that his actions were serious and to allow Mr Griggs to continue practising would undermine public confidence in the profession and in the NMC as a regulatory body.”

Mr Griggs was served an 18-month interim order, but if he does not successfully appeal the decision within that time he will be permanently struck off.

Roniel Alarilla, New Grange Care Home’s new manager, said: “We have moved the home forward a lot and now provide highly specialised dementia care and make sure all our service users are cared for and their preferences and privacy are respected.

“The home has moved a mile since he left and the care provided now is totally different.”