Sydney aged care worker allegedly left 93yo woman tied to a chair

An investigation has revealed an aged care worker allegedly left an elderly woman tied up with a bedsheet.

A Sydney aged care worker allegedly left a 93-year-old woman tied up with a bedsheet, an investigation has revealed.

A 93-year-old woman was allegedly tied to a chair with a bedsheet by her carer, who forgot to release her before his shift ended.

An investigation by the healthcare watchdog found that Nyima Samdup, a personal carer working at a Sydney aged care facility, allegedly restrained the sleeping resident just before 2am, as she sat in a recliner in the dining room, knotting the sheet “loosely under her arms” at the rear of the chair.

The woman was not found until 8am, by two other staff members. She was uninjured.

The incident happened at RSL LifeCare’s Wirraway facility in Narrabeen, in November 2020.

Mr Samdup was charged with one count of common assault domestic violence related, which he pleaded not guilty. The charge was later withdrawn.

When he was arrested he told police he “didn’t have enough training” and “it’s a problem with the aged care facility”.

Mr Samdup told the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) that he was sharing duties with one other carer and between them there were about 60 residents on two floors.

The 48-year-old man originally from Tibet, was banned for two years from providing any health services following an investigation by the watchdog.

An elderly woman was allegedly left tied up for hours at a Sydney aged care home. Picture: iStock

In a statement of decision released by the commission on Wednesday, it said police were told the resident “often stayed awake at night and sometimes fell over causing injury to herself”.

The statement said while Ms Samdup allegedly admitted to tying up the woman, he cited a lack of clear policy at RSL LifeCare regarding the use of restraints at the time of the conduct as well as severe staff shortages.

He told his bosses that the woman could not walk properly, and would not stay in the chair or listen to him.

He said it was very scary as she nearly fell over so he “quickly checked, got a sheet and put it there”.

He said he was then attending to other residents, as well as an incident in another resident’s room where the glass window had broken.

He told RSL Lifecare he forgot about the woman in the dining room.

CCTV footage revealed discrepancies in Mr Samdup’s version of events and showed that the incident happened at 1.48am and not approximately 5.30am, as Mr Samdup originally claimed.

A witness who spotted the woman in the chair, at the same time as another staff member, said, “Oh my god! Is that sheet around her actually tied at the back of the recliner chair?”

The other witness told police that at no time in their career at RSL LifeCare had they been shown or told to tie a bed sheet around a resident for any reason.

Mr Samdup who expressed deep regret and disappointment in his actions, said he had no malice or any ill intent.

He resigned from his role in December, 2020.

The woman has since died from causes unrelated to the incident.

A RSL LifeCare spokeswoman said it supports the findings of the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission.

“RSL LifeCare immediately investigated and referred the incident to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission and the NSW Police when it was discovered in 2020,” the spokeswoman said.

“The staff member has not worked for the organisation since 2020.”

Originally published as Sydney aged care worker allegedly left 93yo woman tied to a chair