A nurse has been found guilty of a catalogue of misconduct at an Ilkley care home.

Barbara Falkingham had been accused of sleeping while on night duty, failing to attend residents during the night, speaking abusively to, and about, two elderly

residents and laughing at one of them, a non-smoker, when she attempted to smoke lighted cigarettes that had been given to her.

Yesterday, a professional conduct

committee sitting in Leeds for the UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, found all five charges against Mrs Falkingham, who supervised night shifts at the home, to be proved.

And they also found the qualified nurse to be guilty of misconduct in relation to those charges.

Earlier in the hearing Janet Smith, matron at the Rombalds Nursing Home, Crossbeck Road, said she had found Mrs Falkingham asleep during a spot check in September 1998 and sacked her.

Mrs Falkingham later won a case for unfair dismissal at an industrial tribunal. The committee had also heard that Mrs Falkingham had called one resident "a silly old bitch" and that "residents' welfare did not come first".

One care assistant had told the committee Mrs Falkingham had removed the buzzer from one woman's room who

continually called for assistance and that she was later found to have wet herself.

When she gave evidence to the committee Mrs Falkingham denied the allegations describing them as "completely

abominable" and unfounded.

And yesterday Paula Wilde, who worked as a care assistant on night shifts with Mrs Falkingham was sacked on the same day - also for allegedly sleeping on duty - said

the nurse had never sworn or said anything improper to residents in her presence

or handed a lightedcigarette to any

resident.

She said she had never seen Mrs Falkingham asleep on duty and that on the night they were dismissed they had been sitting on a sofa during a break, chatting and watching TV but were not asleep.

She added: "I thought she was a brilliant nurse. She was caring and considerate and did the job properly."

Miss Wilde told the hearing they had watched an antiques programme but could not recall what they had talked about.

David Glendinning, solicitor for the Central Council, said;" I suggest the reason you can't remember is that you were asleep."

Miss Wilde replied: "No, it's because it was two years ago."

She said it was possible the matron had been mistaken about the situation.

Miss Wilde also rejected Mr Glendinning's suggestion that Mrs Falkingham wanted all the residents to stay in bed throughout the night to lighten the workload.

Mr Glendinning said being in the lounge Mrs Falkingham and Miss Wildewere "totally secluded from the residents and couldn't look after them if the buzzer went off". But Miss Wilde said they would have been able to hear the buzzer and could have seen the residents if they came

downstairs.

Rachel Reynard, a former nursing assistant at Rombalds who regularly worked night shifts with Mrs Falkingham before leaving the home in June 1997, said: "There was no difference in the way Mrs Falkingham and other nurses went about their duties.

"In all the time I worked with Barbara we always checked all the beds on all the rounds and if they were slightly damp we changed them.

"She was pleasant to residents - they can be hard work and tiring but she never said anything that was out of place or did

anything I'd regard as unfit."

Sara Morgan, solicitor for Mrs Falkingham, said the case had taken its toll on her client's family life and on her general health and had been "amazingly stressful" and she urged the committee to allow Mrs Falkingham to be able to continue in nursing.