“They tried to excuse it by saying she had only been there six days. But where were the checks and the training?”
“Alongside the local authority, we continue to monitor this service very closely to ensure people are receiving safe care.”
Bilikesu Olagunju (Image: Newsquest)
Agency claims to have made improvements
Prosecutor James Benson told Woolwich Crown Court: “In summary, this incident included inappropriate yanking, pulling and manhandling of the victim, inappropriate raising of her voice, threats to the victim that she would call the police, she would have him taken to hospital and injected, she would beat him up and she would flog him.
“And also a failure to preserve his dignity, particularly in the course of washing him and at other times when he’s left hanging off the chair and lying on the floor.”
Mr Benson said Olagunju washed John “brusquely and unkindly”, leaving the curtains open, stripping him fully naked, and making no attempts to preserve his modesty with a towel.
She shouted at John when he struggled to stand whilst being washed, then yanked at him and allowed him to fall to the floor.
When Olagunju called her employer to explain that John was on the floor she was advised to call an ambulance but instead Olagunju decided to yank John up herself.
A video of the incident shows her dragging him by the arm, then by the scruff of his collar and throwing him down on a chair.
Whilst John was then slumped on the chair Olagunju then told John: “Maybe I will beat you up. I will flog you. I will take you to the GP to get injections. I will call the police on you.”
Judge Charlotte Welsh, who sentenced Olagunju, said: “Frankly it beggars belief that someone would be allocated an elderly man with dementia as their first client.
“Being a carer is a very, very difficult job and frankly people don’t appreciate it until they need it. I am convinced that you had not received the sufficient training.”
A spokesperson for Unique Personnel said Olagunju applied on November 25, 2022, and was taken through a “robust” recruitment and induction process which included the completion of the Care Certificate and shadowing of experienced staff.
Olagunju then commenced employment on December 17.
The spokesperson said: “Despite this comprehensive preparation to start work, Ms Olagunju did not act in accordance with our established care procedures during one of her care visits.
“Although she contacted our on-call support service at the time of the incident and was given appropriate advice and guidance to call 999 for further assistance, as corroborated by CCTV footage within the client’s home, despite this she did not follow the advise.
“It is important to emphasise that such incidence is wholly inconsistent with the standards of care provided by our organisation.”
They added: “Our organisation has been delivering care to vulnerable adults and children for over 24 years, priding ourselves on adhering to the important standards of the CQC.
“We have never faced a case of this nature in all these years of quality service, and we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of care.”
The agency said they have since strengthened their supervision and quality audits for new staff, and have also improved their induction content.
“We remain steadfast in our responsibility to deliver safe, compassionate, and accountable care. Incidents such as these are taken with the utmost seriousness and are met with immediate corrective action and learning,” a spokesperson said.
- Have you or a loved one had negative experiences with a local care agency? Tell us you story – josh.bolton@newsquest.co.uk
Abuser got job on hospital stroke ward months later
Olagunju was soon sacked from Unique Personnel following this incident and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) were informed.
Chris said that finding out that Olagunju had continued to work with vulnerable and elderly people was “extremely disturbing” and had caused his family “yet more anguish”
Olagunju was pictured on X with a certificate after she won a “Bumble Bee Award” at the hospital in July 2024 – the award “acknowledges the contributions of other members of the nursing team, such as nursing support staff, who provide excellent and compassionate care”.
A spokesperson for Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: “We take any accusation of abuse of patients extremely seriously.
“Once we were made aware of the matter relating to this member of staff, we followed our internal procedures and took the necessary action. This individual no longer works at our Trust.”
Concerns have been raised around how DBS checks failed to flag the allegations against Olagunju to the hospital.
Chris said this case highlights that the DBS check system is not fit for purpose.
