A CARE home nurse who left two elderly women's sores to fester will have to wait until later this year to learn her fate.

Janice Kelly, 49, failed to provide adequate wound management while working at the Ravenscroft Nursing and Residential Home in Trowbridge.

Kelly faces being struck off by the Nursing and Midwifery Council if found guilty of professional misconduct. At the hearing in London NMC panel chairman Patricia Frost said Kelly had failed in her duty as home manager to provide adequate supervision.

"We reject that it was more coincidence that inspectors failed to find staff in the lounges on these four occasions."

The panel ran out of time before they could decide what punishment Kelly should receive and the hearing will resume later this year.

Kelly remains suspended from practicing in the meantime and no longer works at Ravenscroft. The NMC heard how the daughter an 85-year-old diabetic, known as patient A lodged an official complaint in June 2000 after discovering a putrid smelling sore on her mother's heel.

In September that year, patient A's daughter lodged an official complaint with Wiltshire Health Authority. Kelly admitted failing to provide adequate wound care management for the woman's pressure sores.

She also admitted a similar charge in relation to patient C, an arthritic woman in her 90s.

It was discovered that a pressure relieving mattress was given to patient C - but not until 12 days into her stay.

A charge that Kelly failed to reduce the risk of pressure sores developing in another patient was dropped. The NMC also removed allegations that Kelly failed to tell another patient's family that she had fallen out of bed and failed to keep adequate care plans and records for four patients between July 7, 1999 and October 1, 1999.

Kelly, of Lynham, had denied further charges relating to patient safety on four occasions between February and May 2001. She also denied failing to ensure patients had access to drinks in the home lounges and that adequate activities were provided between the same dates.

Kelly told the NMC she believed inspectors who visited the home must have missed staff at work. "I still think there was somebody there or thereabouts but the inspectors just didn't see them. But I have no proof of that."

Kelly added that staff were often called away from the lounge area. "In an ideal world it would be lovely to have a staff member in every room, but they're going to be moved anyway." The NMC found the facts proved.