A FORMER manager at a care home in Almondsbury has been found guilty of dozens of misconduct offences – including pushing a resident out of a minibus and forcing another to eat Marmite sandwiches.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has found Paula Anne Ralph guilty of 38 counts of misconduct while manager at Milestones Trust's Crantock Drive home – which is for people over the age of 55 who have learning disabilities – in 2013.

Ralph, who was manager from 1996 until January last year, was found to have pushed one resident out of a minibus by the neck and on another occasion climbed onto her bed and pushed her elbows into her back.

She was also found to have said “I could knife you and you wouldn’t be bothered” or words to that effect to the same woman.

Ralph forced another resident to eat Marmite sandwiches, mustard and pizza against her will, the NMC found.

The NMC is due to decide whether Ralph should be struck off the nursing register at a hearing in July.

She was not present at the misconduct hearing which took place in London from April 20 to Tuesday.

The NMC panel heard that, during an outing to Saltford and Bath in June 2013, Ralph indicated that a resident should be left without a seatbelt on because it was not working.

During the same trip, Ralph dragged a resident backwards off a picnic table bench, the NMC panel found.

Ralph was also found guilty of goading a resident to poke another with her stick.

During the hearing, the NMC panel heard that a resident known as Service User B was the victim of many of Ralph's offences.

Ralph was found guilty of threatening to not allow this woman to attend organised trips and of telling her she would have to leave the care home.

The panel also found that she had made inappropriate remarks to a colleague about depression, saying “it is only for weak people” or words to that effect.

In a statement to the Gazette after the hearing, the Milestones Trust said: “Paula Ralph worked as a home manager with Milestones Trust at Crantock Drive between 1996 and 2014, which is a home that supports people with learning difficulties.

“Following a series of allegations made against her, we acted promptly to investigate these fully and took appropriate action.”